The Queen and Her Knight 3
by Erich Zann III
Summary: The group has finished defeating the rogue Church organization. Raizel and Raskreia are about to get married. But what happened to Tesamu? No doubt he's still out there, plotting. Rated M for violence. No actual sex in this particular sequel. MuzakaxGarda, ShinwooxSeira, RaizelxRaskreia, FrankensteinxLunark, M-21xYuna
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"I would personally like to congratulate everyone in this class on their graduation from Ye Ran High School, and wish you the best of luck as you continue into the life of college students, and productive adults. May the years you spent here, making friends and learning invaluable skills stay with you in your memories. Although a young person's time in high school is short, it is often the most memorable time of their life. I hope the same was true for all of you.

"When I call your name, please come to the front. Thank you." Frankenstein said, stepping away from the podium. He then began calling everyone's name, starting with the valedictorian, who made a very eloquent speech, then bowed, and walked off the stage. Ironically, although Shinwoo had made drastic improvement, he was only salutatorian. When Shinwoo got to the front, he smiled and started his speech. He was told not to make it any longer than three minutes.

"I was told by the faculty that I wasn't allowed to say 'never settle for second best.'" At this, the class laughed. "No, but seriously, I never thought I'd be up here in this position. I was told that I was salutatorian two weeks ago, but I was so surprised that I couldn't figure out what I wanted to say… I guess I kept thinking they'd figure out that it had to be a mistake, and apologize for their error…" The class laughed again.

"I've learned a few things from high school. High school, while a fun time, can also be difficult. But if you have a few good friends, you might be able to make it with your wits about you. I've also learned that there's no problem so big that it can't be solved with pizza and video games… Okay. That's a lie. Thank you for putting up with my speech." This time, even Shinwoo laughed.

"Thank you, Han Shinwoo… Now, in alphabetical order, please come up and accept your diploma." Frankenstein said. Shinwoo had actually given a pretty good speech. Frankenstein continued to call students up, and finally, the graduation ceremony was over. Now, all Shinwoo had to be concerned about was the college entrance exam.

"Hey, guys… Do you know what you plan to do after high school is over?" Shinwoo asked. His friends looked at him.

"Well…"Suyi said. "I think I'm probably going to continue on with modeling. I won't stay young forever."

"You could, you know. All of you could. My regenerative abilities can be passed on to an extent. Biological Manipulation… I can use it to give other people powers as well."  
"I don't know, Shinwoo… That's… Nice of you, but… Living forever? It seems like a bit of a double edged sword." Suyi said. She would think about it, though.

"Well… It's up to you. I would never force this on anyone." Shinwoo said, shrugging. Yuna thought for a moment. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do. But she knew that she wanted to be with Linus.

"Wait… Shinwoo… Linus… Er, M-21… Is a Werewolf, right?" Yuna asked. Shinwoo shook his head.

"No. He's a modified human. He had a Werewolf implanted in him, giving him Werewolf abilities."

"Aren't you kind of splitting hairs, there, Shinwoo?" Ikhan asked. Shinwoo shook his head.

"No. Because true Werewolves are able to tell that Linus isn't technically one of them. Although to a human, he would be indistinguishable, to Nobles, and to Werewolves, and certain modified humans, the difference is obvious.

"The change is becoming more and more complete by the day, though. So, within months, maybe years at most, Linus might become enough like a True Werewolf that even Muzaka wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Why do you ask, Yuna?"

"Werewolves live forever, right? They're immortal, like Rai and Seira…"

"We are not immortal, Seo Yuna." Seira said quietly. "Nobles will not die of old age. But true immortality is a myth propagated by Humans who do not understand Nobles. The two main aspects of immortality are the inability to die of old age…"

"Which you have…! You're 220 years old… And Regis's old man is… What? Over 2,000 years old?"

"Please do not interrupt me. Thank you." Seira said quietly, not revealing her annoyance.

"The inability to die of old age, and the ability to recover from almost any injury. Werewolves are as close as is possible to having true immortality. Their high level of regeneration makes it almost impossible to kill them with normal damage. Nobles, while we have a certain level of regeneration, it does not avail us if we take grievous enough wounds, and it is limited by the amount of life force we possess.

"Take, for instance, Rael's elder brother. He relatively recently did battle with a traitorous Clan Leader, and several Werewolves.

"He fought valiantly, and would likely have won, if only due to the element of speed and surprise. In fact, in terms of speed, I think he would even have given Shinwoo a run for his money. However, the traitor Clan Leader used a dirty trick to rob him of his strength, and he did not have enough life force to maintain his stability…" Seira said, seeming resentful at the moment.

"And his brother was mortally wounded, and went into his Eternal Rest. Rael is the Clan Leader, now, which is why he is so rarely in Korea anymore."

"I… I see… So… Nobles can die?" Yuna asked. Seira and Regis both nodded.

"Yes. Our regenerative ability isn't even close to that of the Werewolves. Even many Modified humans have greater regeneration abilities than Nobles."

"So, Rael's brother was really killed? No wonder he was always so grumpy!" Ikhan said, as if this were clearly the reason.

"No… Rael has always been like that." Regis said, frowning.

"Anyway, what're you gonna do, now that you've graduated, Regis? Seira?"

"You humans can go to college. We have to take up our roles as Clan Leaders. We have enjoyed our time with you, but our filial obligation is paramount." Regis answered. Seira nodded. Shinwoo was a bit sad about this. There really was no chance that Seira could just stay.

He wanted to take her on a trip around the world. Show her everything that the world had to offer. He was sure that she was the one he would want to marry. He was busy crafting the ring at the moment. It had to be perfect, just like her. Shinwoo cringed at this. It was so corny. But true.

"Your what?" Yuna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Our duty to our families. We wish we could stay. But I am still very young for a Clan Leader, and I have yet even to fully reach my coming of age ceremony. We may see each other again someday. But I doubt you will look the same as you do now." Regis said bluntly. The children looked at them sadly.

"We'll miss you. It's been great getting to know you. Shinwoo… Are you going to go with Seira to Luke… Lukado… Lukadi…"

"Lukedonia? Maybe." Shinwoo said, thinking privately that he wouldn't like the quiet lifestyle that the home of the Nobles offered.

"Maybe he's planning to go to college? He was the salutatorian." Ikhan said cheerfully. Shinwoo sighed.

"I don't think so. I'm sort of planning on opening a martial arts school. I was kind of hoping Seira would stick around in Korea. But… I guess I'll have to reevaluate my plans."

 _"Seira… Have you spoken to Raskreia about staying in Korea?"_

 _Not yet. I admit I have been procrastinating. I do not want her to be disappointed in me. She and the Noblesse are probably planning on returning to Lukedonia._

 _"I understand that. They're very important people in Noble affairs."_

 _Yes. But… I am not sure how the Lord feels about her duty. You were not wrong when you said that Nobles hold a very different place in society today. Our role is more passive. There is little need for us to intervene, unless a drastic event happens._

 _"That's true. Well, we can talk to her together. I'm sure she'll understand your feelings, especially if you explain them calmly and rationally. I'll be right there with you, I promise."_

 _Soon, then._ Seira said telepathically.

"I'm still thinking about what I plan to do." Shinwoo said. What about you, Ikhan?"  
"Something to do with computers. What about you, Yuna. You've been awfully quiet."

"Well… I'm not sure what I want to do. I want do something that will let me help people. Maybe a doctor or a nurse."

"You'd be a good as a doctor or as a nurse." Shinwoo smiled. He could see Yuna working in a hospital, sitting with people by their beds and comforting them. She'd be a perfect medical practitioner. Doctor, nurse, tech, or whatever. She could be great in that field. Shinwoo could help Yuna. He had all the medical knowledge that she could ever need and more to succeed as any kind of medical practitioner, having learned all that he could from Frankenstein, and from the Union files that he took from his father.

"What kind of job would you want if you could have a human job, Seira?" Shinwoo asked. Seira looked at him.

"I think I would want to be an artist."

"Seira… What kind of art do you do?"

"I am a little familiar with the cello, viola, and the piano, and I have become somewhat facile as a painter. Would you like to see my paintings?" Seira asked, blushing slightly. The group all nodded vigorously, walking with her to Frankenstein's home, and going immediately up to her room, not even stopping to eat like they usually did. When they got in her room, they looked around.

The entire wall was covered with canvasses of beautiful paintings.

"This is my favorite…" Seira whispered, calling down a painting with her telekinesis. It was a picture of the seven friends, all smiling together. Even Shinwoo was amazed. He never suspected that she had this kind of talent. The painting was jumping out of the page, like they could walk right back into it.

"Seira… This is amazing. Why didn't you tell us you had this kind of talent?" Ikhan asked.

"It didn't seem relevant." Seira said modestly. Yuna moved closer to her, grabbing her hands.

"Of course it's relevant! You have an incredible talent! What else have you been hiding from us?"

"I like to write, mostly poetry and musical pieces. I've performed a few of them, but I never thought they were good enough to perform in public."

"How will you know if they're good enough if you never try?"

"I read some of my poetry at a nightclub once. I think I was moderately successful, though I didn't use my mind reading to confirm it." Seira said, blushing with what she could have sworn was pride. She never knew that her friends would be this interested in her hobbies.

Shinwoo was looking around. There were dozens of paintings. There was one of Frankenstein and Raizel. There was one of Raizel and Raskreia, with a background of incredible light, and streams of blood. There was one of the original RK-3.

There were numerous pictures of Shinwoo in combat. There were lots of paintings of the children, some including Rael. There was one particularly elegant painting of Raizel and Raskreia kissing, although as soon as she realized Shinwoo was looking at it, she grabbed it and hid it.

"No need to hide that painting, Seira. It's beautiful."

"It was the Noblesse's and the Lord's first kiss. I thought it should be immortalized. But I'm not sure that I want them knowing that I painted them doing that."

"Why not? It loo…"

"Indeed… Why not, Seira J. Loyard?" Raskreia asked, having heard hers and Raizel's name as she walked by to her room, and having her curiosity piqued.

"I… Lord!" Seira said, bowing politely to Raskreia.

"No need to stand on tradition right now. Answer my question."

"I-I've repainted the picture eight times. It's never good enough. It doesn't capture yours and the Noblesse's elegance and power."

"I want to see it." Raskreia said flatly. Seira walked to the closet, and took the painting out, handing it to Raskreia. It was a huge canvas. It must have taken Seira weeks to paint it just once with the amount of detail that went into it.

It was set in the park where they did in fact have their first kiss.

"This picture is amazing. You seem to have done several of Raizel and I, Seira…"

"Yes, Lord. Does that displease you?" She asked, looking at the floor. Raskreia actually smiled.

"It pleases me. I am happy that you find us interesting enough to paint. You have really covered the entire room with your work, have you not?"

"Yes, Lord. It helps me relieve stress. Shinwoo… You play Violin, correct?" Seira asked. Shinwoo nodded.

"I do… A little bit." Shinwoo said, causing a violin and a bow to appear in his hands. It was a gorgeous black violin that must have been made out of biomass. Seira smiled, and took her viola, and began rosining the bow, and tuning the strings.

After a few minutes, they began playing, seeming to have known what the other was thinking. They looked at each other, and began playing Country Roads. When they finished, the whole group clapped, impressed that Shinwoo was so talented with the violin.

"Shinwoo… Seira… Would you two do Raizel and I the honor of playing at our wedding?" Raskreia asked. Shinwoo gasped.

"Me? I'm not that good at the violin…" He said, turning deep red. Raskreia shook her head.

"Don't lie. I've heard violinists amongst the Nobles who are better than any human violinist. They've had hundreds of years to perfect their skill. You're just as good."

"Really? Come on." Shinwoo said, dismissing this idea. Raskreia laughed quietly.

"No, I am serious. I'm certain that Raizel would want you children involved in the wedding. I only wish my father were here to see me get married." Raskreia said sadly.

"I would be happy to play. And you, Seira?"

"It would be my honor, Lord." Seira replied, bowing deferentially to the Lord.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Shinwoo… I want to talk to you…" Came a sharp voice from behind him. Shinwoo turned around and saw Rael standing there. Sighing, knowing that few conversations with the blonde haired Noble were truly civil, he prepared himself for a belligerent attack.

"Yes, Rael? What's up?" Shinwoo asked. He was a bit busy, but… Shinwoo realized that he had nothing but time, now that he was essentially immortal.

"I want to talk to you about Seira…"

"Okay… She sure is beautiful, isn't she?" Shinwoo asked. Rael scowled.

"Don't be glib, human. I want to know what your intentions are for her. I think you knew from the beginning that your relationship couldn't last forever. She has her duty as a Clan Leader, and frankly, as powerful as you are, you're still a human.

"You managed to convince her to allow herself to be modified… I'm… Amazed that you managed that. But she's finished high school, and sooner, rather than later, she'll need to resume her duties as the rightful leader of the Loyard Clan."

"I understand where you're coming from, Rael. For over 200 years, right? Seira has been told that she was the prospective leader of her family. Her time came sooner than it should have, though, I take it?"

"Yes. It was… Unfortunate that her father died when she was so young. Her father was old enough that he could say he was ready to pass into Eternal Sleep. But Seira needed another few centuries to really be ready to be the Clan Leader. She's not in an enviable position. She has the political power, but not the political or combat experience necessary to back up that power. She's risen admirably to the occasion, but still…"

"You feel bad for her, don't you, Rael? I can tell you truly love her, and I admire that in you. But… Please, forgive my saying so, the time of Nobles has passed. Although you are still important as an aspect of the history of humanity, most humans don't need you to protect them. So, I suppose, I should say, rather that Nobles have a much more passive role in today's society. There are times when the Nobles are needed, and we have seen more than a few of late.

"But frankly, wouldn't it be better to let Seira do what would make her happy? If she wants to go back to being a Clan Leader in Lukedonia, of course I won't stop her. I may even go with her. Lukedonia seems like an interesting place. But, if she wants to stay in Korea, and act as the Clan Leader from afar, why stop her?"

"Because that's not the way of the Nobles!"

"The way of the Nobles? I think you're smarter than that, Rael. Nobles are slower to change, and less apt to change. But in the past thousand years, the Nobles have changed a great deal. Clan Leaders have risen up and rebelled against the current order, Nobles are in semi-permanent residence outside their homeland, a Noble has taken a human lover. Times are changing for both your race, and mine, Rael. Why not accept that change, rather than rail against it?

"It will make things easier for everyone. Again, if Seira wishes to go back to her life in Lukedonia, with or without me, I'll accept that. I'll be devastated to see her go. Frankly, I could see myself marrying her, and being happy with her forever. But, humans are resilient creatures. If she wants to leave, I won't stop her. Actually, I promised Seira I would meet her… About five minutes ago. I'm sorry, but I really do need to hurry."

"I understand." Rael said, seeming resentful.

"Seira J. Loyard… Where is Han Shinwoo?" Raskreia asked. Seira looked at her watch.

"He promised he would be here five minutes ago, Lord. I apologize. If you would please indulge me for just another minute or two, I'll…"

"Seira!" Shinwoo shouted, to the shock of both women as Shinwoo ran into Frankenstein's house, tossing off his shoes, and bowing politely to Raskreia, taking a knee.

"Lord, I apologize for being late. Please excuse me."

"You are excused, Han Shinwoo. Please sit and explain the purpose of this meeting." Raskreia said sternly. Shinwoo nodded, and sat, taking Seira's hand.

Seira needed to be the one to actually explain this all, since Shinwoo had less stake in the turnout. Seira knew that. Shinwoo was mostly there for moral support.

"Lord… I am aware that I have duties as the leader of the Loyard Clan. However, I find that I have come to love my life here in Korea with Han Shinwoo and his friends. I ask that you permit me to stay here with him… I love Shinwoo, and I do not wish to leave.

"You are asking if I would permit you to abdicate your duties as Clan Leader, Seira J. Loyard?" Raskreia asked, seeming severe, although Shinwoo knew her well enough to know that it was just her natural expression, partially caused by her overwhelming Aura.

"No, Lord. I fully intend to remain as the Clan Leader, and will perform the duties required of me. I simply wish to relocate that I may also be Shinwoo's girlfriend.

"If staying here requires me to abdicate my duties as clan leader, I shall. But I do not wish to. If I may be so bold, your father, the Previous Lord was in favor of the changes that seemed to be taking place, and was supportive of the Clan Leaders' will to innovate rather than follow tradition. In the wake of his death, although there were bad changes, so too have there been good changes. The Noblesse seems to have found a place with people that can make him happy.

"You have found love with the Noblesse, and although we as a race have changed, we have not been destroyed, and in fact, may be on the verge of becoming more powerful than ever. I have accepted modification, and have become a biouser. I am certain that the Noblesse would grant you that power as well if you requested it of him.

"Perhaps now, with only eight of the original thirteen Clan Leaders still alive or active, depending on the clan, we should consider changing the dynamic of our society. Although you could still remain Lord, as you should, there's no reason that you need to go back to Lukedonia. From my experience, you have enjoyed living in the human world."

"I have enjoyed living with humans. But I am still aware of my duties as the Lord of Nobles.

"Do you believe that you should be held to a lesser standard?"

"No, Lord. However, I do believe that we should all be able to change with the times. Why should we not be able to live alongside humans. It places us more aptly if we need to defend them from the Union. The children have proven that time and again, they have been made targets of the human organization. As we are, we are well placed to protect them.

"I wish to say, also, that I intend to live in the human world with Shinwoo. I asked your permission because it was the right thing to do, and out of courtesy. My life…"

"You do not need to say more. I always intended to give you permission. I merely wanted to hear your reasons for making this decision. They are clearly well thought out, and noble, and you have every right to make such a decision.

"I only ask that you remain aware in case you are needed in your capacity as a clan leader."

"Yes, Lord. Please excuse me." Seira said, bowing and turning from Raskreia, who looked at Shinwoo, then looked away. Shinwoo smiled. He was happier than he could remember being in a while. The Lord had given them permission to be together. Shinwoo had something to do, though. He had to show Raizel something.

"Hey, Rai…" Shinwoo said quietly, walking up to Raizel, who looked at Shinwoo placidly.

"I discovered a new way to gather Bioenergy. You know about photosynthesis, right?" Shinwoo asked. Raizel shook his head.

"Photosynthesis is how plants keep themselves fed. They process sunlight through their leaves, and convert it in their chlorophyll into energy.

"If a human were photosynthetic, they could also create bioenergy for themselves simply by being outside."

"Would the human not turn green, though?" Raizel asked. Shinwoo shook his head.

"It's unlikely. Unless the human also had chlorophyll in them in pretty high levels, they wouldn't turn green. Even now, I'm photosynthetic. But it's more like I'm simply solar powered.

"I made the modification to myself about a week ago, so that I wouldn't need to harvest biomass at the park as often. I could help make you photosynthetic for that purpose, if you like."

"Okay." Raizel said. Shinwoo lifted his hand, and touched Raizel's forehead, imbuing him with the knowledge of how to do it. Raizel took a deep breath, and focused his bioenergy, evolving himself again.

"And this evolution will allow me to generate my own bioenergy?"

"In a way. It will make it so that as long as you go out in the sun, you will generate bioenergy. You can continue to modify yourself so that sunlight will cause you to produce more bioenergy, though a man as powerful as you hardly needs it. Excuse me. I need to introduce Seira to the idea. She might not accept the modification, but I owe it to her to offer the option." Raizel nodded, and sat back down, opening his book again.

"Seira… I realized, just a week ago, that there's an easier way to get free bioenergy than using trees to do so. I've already helped Raizel evolve himself."

"What is this evolution?"

"Becoming photosynthetic. Your cells would process the sunlight, turning it into bioenergy."

"Wouldn't I become green?" Seira asked. Shinwoo shook his head.

"Only if you replaced your cells with plant cells and your blood with Chlorophyll. Honestly, it would allow you to gather bioenergy as long as you were in the sunlight. You would essentially be solar powered. Neat, huh?"

"I suppose. I'm not certain I want such an amazing power yet. I have already noticed an unseemly level of enjoyment in being powerful.

"I do not wish to become addicted to my new modifications, lest I become no better than the members of the Union."

"That… Seira, is impossible. You could never be as bad as them if you had a million evolutions. I trust you… More than I trust myself, sometimes."

"That is flattering. I will take it. Help me evolve it at a low level so I do not become too carried away, please?" Seira asked. Shinwoo nodded, and grasped Seira's hands in his, putting his forehead up to hers, and passing the knowledge of how to evolve herself thus. She nodded, and focused, using the bioenergy she had inside her, feeling herself changing. It was still an ecstatic feeling. But she was sure that through meditation, she could learn to control the feeling.

"Seira… Have you ever played Ultimate Frisbee? It's a lot of fun. You throw a disc around, and try to score goals."

"I have not. I have played Football, American Football, Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Rugby, Tennis, I've learned some martial arts, mainly Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, and Caopeira. But never Ultimate Frisbee. Is it a violent sport?"

"Not usually. You use one of these…" Shinwoo said, creating a frisbee out of biomass in his hand, flipping it over and showing it to Seira.

"You create teams and play on a field that's about 64 meters long and 36.5 meters wide. All passes must be made and completed within the boundaries of the field. A player throwing the disc must have at least one foot in bounds.

"The game generally lasts half an hour with two fifteen minute halves and a five minute half-time in between periods… Well… Hold on, I can give you the information right now." Shinwoo said, putting his fingers up to Seira's forehead, and imbuing her with full knowledge of every aspect of Ultimate Frisbee.

As Shinwoo was imbuing Seira with that knowledge, he could feel everything about her in their mental connection. It was an intense feeling that he knew he had felt before. But he had never paid attention to it. In this moment, he realized that he could easily turn himself into a Noble. In fact, with the right knowledge, he could make himself as powerful as Rai and Ras combined. He had no such ambitions. But he probably could if he wanted.

Rael would probably still find reasons to complain about Shinwoo's relationship with Seira. He could say that Shinwoo wasn't a real Noble, that he had made himself one through artificial means, that Shinwoo was almost 15 times younger than Seira, and that meant he couldn't understand her. That he was just plain uncultured as a human. None of those arguments changed anything, though. Seira still loved him, and Shinwoo was delighted that she had agreed to stay in Korea with him.

"Seira… How would you feel about me turning myself into a Noble?" Shinwoo asked, slightly nervous that his question would offend Seira rather than flatter her. He had considered it for a while, and because he was in constant contact with her, he had been able to understand her physiology and her supernatural powers. The same was true of being in contact with Raizel, Raskreia and the other Nobles. He was sure now that his contact with them would allow him to perfectly mimic their physiology.

Seira looked at him levelly, betraying no emotions. For a moment, she said nothing, merely staring into Shinwoo's eyes.

"The choice is left to you, Han Shinwoo. I would not hold it against you if you did transform yourself into a Noble. However, I love you just as much if you remain human. Remember that there are far reaching ramifications to being a Noble.

"Especially if you lack a Clan. You may marry into the Loyard Clan. However, you yourself are possessed of the definitive traits of no Clan, and that works against you. Furthermore, you will be beholden both to the Noblesse and to the Lord. As a Noble, you will be expected to obey their commands should they issue one. Nobles have rebelled in the past. However, they have all been put down, save for one."

"Who's the one?"

"Ignes Kravei. She's a terribly sadistic Noble of the Kravei Clan. Her father was the Clan Leader until fairly recently, when he was put into Forced Eternal Sleep. We can only suspect that she has the Clan's Soul Weapon, now. She's proven to be brilliant, and powerful.

"She's very dangerous. I would advise even you to run if you run into her."

"I will… If she doesn't pose a threat to anyone else. I won't lie to you, Seira. If she threatens the city, I will stay and fight. I don't doubt that she has ways to combat people like me. But that doesn't matter to me. If I need to, I will stay and I will die for the people of this city. Was her father an elder?"

"Yes. His name was Roktis Kravei. He was a high ranking scientist as well as an Elder.

"Lord Raizel had to execute him because he posed a threat to Humans."

"Wasn't Roktis one of Rai's closest followers? He and a few other Nobles were very close to Raizel. Frankenstein was suspicious of them, but Raizel refused to distrust them."

"That's true. Why do you ask?'

"Because it must have been really hard to find out that the people he trusted most in the world, who were his closest friends. How would you feel if one of us betrayed you?"

"I… Would be terribly hurt. But the Noblesse is stronger than any other Noble. He has lived for over 5,000 years. He will survive."

"But at what point does survival become not worth it? At what point does surviving entail more pain than death, or… Eternal Sleep, as it were?"

"The Noblesse will never cease to be. He reincarnates. Unless an enemy manages to sever his reincarnation cycle, he will continue to reincarnate forever."

"What are the odds that anyone could do that?"

"Next to zero. The Noblesse is powerful enough, especially now, to defeat any enemy before they can enact that sort of attack. Most would not even try. But any who did would realize quickly that they were, as you humans say, out of their league."

"How long does the typical Noble live?"

"Nobles once were not much longer lived than humans. Near the beginning of the human race, approximately 200,000 years ago, Nobles tended to age approximately half as fast as humans, and we died at approximately 140-180 years of age. With our superior strength, and physical and mental abilities, though, we tended to not die of illness as humans did, so our maximum age was much higher than humans, and they hailed us as immortals, and we were worshipped as gods.

"Though we did not ask to be worshipped, neither did we request that they stop, seeing it as their prerogative to do as they pleased, just as we did as we wished. In doing as we wished, though, we delved into mystical lore and blood magic. And though we were already powerful supernatural beings, we were young then, relatively speaking, and we wanted for more power.

"They delved into blood magic rituals, and the Clan Leaders, of whom there were fifteen at the time, including the First Lord, whose name is lost to time, gathered in a magical circle, and did a thirteen day long ritual that inundated them with mystical energy, giving each of the Clan Leaders their trademark Soul Weapons, which would be passed down to future generations upon 'death'.

"Along with further enhanced strength, regeneration, speed, stamina, power, and other attributes, they were gifted with longevity, and supernatural abilities inherent to our blood. After that, no Noble ever reached the end of their natural lifespan. However, we do have something similar to death called Eternal Sleep. We can choose to enter when we like. Often after our first child grows to an age at which they can assume responsibility for leading the Clan, the leader would go into Eternal Sleep.

"However, that does not mean that we cannot be killed by physical violence. My father was killed by a member of the Union almost 100 years ago. He was old enough that going into Eternal Sleep would not be strange. However, it was not preferable because I was barely an adult, and not ready to assume leadership of the Clan."

"Does a leader's soul get destroyed if they do not go into Eternal Sleep willingly?"

"No. Regardless of the method of death, once the leader goes into Eternal Sleep, their soul is added to the weapon, and automatically passed on, assuming there is an heir. For several of the traitorous Clan Leaders, they had no heir to whom to pass their Soul Weapon, and so the Clan died with them. It was unfortunate.

"But now, we have only eight Clan Leaders. One is defected, four are dead. Our time truly is coming to an end. Those of us who are left must adapt or fade out of the public eye. There is no reason that the Nobles who remain cannot adapt to a human run world. Werewolves are facing the same issue. Are you still planning on becoming a Noble?"

"Yes. Do you still want me to?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"It is not my decision to make. You must make the decision without any influence on my part." Seira said gently. She seemed to mean it, too. Shinwoo was nervous, though. What if she thought less of him for affecting the change? He didn't want to jeopardize their relationship just because he wanted to be more like her.

In truth, she was somewhat flattered that he wanted to make this huge jump. Admittedly, it was an artificial change. He was using his powers to turn himself into a Noble. But what powers would he choose to have as a Noble? She guessed the better question would be 'what powers didn't he have already?' He had a plethora of powers, as a Biological Manipulation user, he could use almost any power at the drop of a hat.

"You must ask yourself, why do you want to become a Noble. You cannot become something just to please someone else, least of all me. You must do it for yourself."

"I-I want to be a Noble. I…"

"You needn't explain yourself to me. But be ready to explain your decision to others. It's unlikely that your metamorphosis will go unquestioned in my world.

"The Lord, especially is obligated to question your decision."

"Ras?"

"Once you become a Noble, you may no longer call her by her name. That would be considered a punishable offense."

"Really? Why?"

"You humans do not typically call your leaders by their given names. There are many euphemisms and titles used to refer to them. President, Your Honor, Your Majesty, Your Highness… There are many choices. We have fewer. We simply call our Lord "Lord". Humans are unique in their audacity, in their willingness to call their superiors by familiar names. We do not. We…"

"I understand. Do I have to call Rai by his title?"

"Unless he permits you to address him informally, you must. Someone also should teach you about the history and politics of Nobles. You can't fit into a society with which you are unfamiliar."

"Of course. I've already learned a bit from Frankenstein. I could easily learn the Nobles' history and politics with my Biological Manipulation.

"It would be perfect knowledge of it. I would learn it word-for-word." Shinwoo said with a smirk. Seira shook her head.

"Not at first. You have to learn it properly. Not with your powers. Between Frankenstein, the Noblesse, and myself, we can teach you quickly, assuming you apply yourself. Do you intend to go to college?"

"No. I intend to start a martial arts school, amongst other things. I hardly need to do anything. Between my technological inventions, and my sword business, I'm doing well enough for myself. But I do want to have something to do during the day. What about you? You can't just sit around the house all day. I could train you up in different martial art styles, and you could be a teacher at the school… Or, you could do something else."

"I do wish to be a teacher, but I wish to teach music, instruments."

"That's a great idea. You mean like open a school of your own?"

"Perhaps… Or maybe I'll just teach at someone else's school."

"You need a college degree to be a teacher of any kind in an actual school. But if you open up your own school, you could teach without a degree… As long as you know enough about the subject. Having heard you play, I think you do. You could even make the instruments yourself. It would save money, and time, and the instruments would be better quality. Do you have any ideas as to who you'll hire to teach at the school, other than yourself?"

"I was hoping to just work for myself. I'm certain that I could manage to make enough money to buy an apartment. I could sell some of my paintings… Some of my less personal paintings, anyhow… I wouldn't feel comfortable selling the ones of us, or the ones of our friends, or the Lord and the Noblesse. They mean too much to me."

"What? That's ridiculous…" Shinwoo laughed. Seira blushed, looking away, feeling embarrassed. Had her plan been so poorly thought out?

"Well, perhaps I should go back to the drawing board, so to speak."

"No, I mean, why waste your money? Just come stay at my apartment. There's plenty of room for two, and I have numerous spare rooms that can serve as practice rooms.

"I have instruments for days."

"Instruments for days?" Seira asked, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Instruments for days. I have a grand piano, numerous violins in multiple sizes for different size hands and players, violas, cellos… I have bass guitars, lead guitars, folk guitars, twelve string guitars… I think I might even have a sitar, a lute and a mandolin.

"Point is, if you can teach it, and you can find someone who wants to learn it, I either have it, or can make it."

"Hmh… A sitar, you say? That is impressive, Han Shinwoo… Perhaps I'll take you up on that offer. You are sure you don't mind me borrowing space in your apartment?"

"I said you could come stay if you were so inclined. If you don't want to, I don't mind. It's up to you."

Shinwoo said this, but he seemed to be hoping that Seira would take him up on his offer. Seira smiled, kissing him gently on the lips.

"I'd be happy to move in with you." Seira replied, hugging Shinwoo tightly. "Excuse me. I will have to begin packing if I am to move out of the landlord's house."

"Headmaster…" Seira began, walking up to Frankenstein, who turned and smiled politely at Seira.

"Yes, Miss Loyard? How can I help you?"

"I am nothing if not appreciative of the hospitality you have shown not only me, but Regis, and the other Nobles who have imposed on your kindness over the years…"

"No imposition at all. It was my pleasure…" Frankenstein said, his smile widening.

"I am moving out… I have been invited to move in with Han Shinwoo."

"I see… This is quite a big step in your relationship. Is there a particular reason, other than taking your relationship to the next level… If you don't mind my asking?"

"Not at all… I wish to become a music tutor… I still must make posters advertising my business."

"And Shinwoo doesn't mind strangers being inside his apartment?"  
"It was his suggestion."

"I would advise you to lock any doors you don't want opened before you invite anyone in. We will all help you move. Linus, Tao, Takeo, Muzaka, Garda, Artemis, Lunark…" Frankenstein called. Soon, the anteroom was filled with the residents of his home.

"Yes, boss?" Tao asked. Frankenstein smiled.

"We're all going to help Miss Seira move out. She's moving in with Shinwoo, and she needs help packing up her belongings. I'm certain that Shinwoo will also be over to help. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, he never left. Shinwoo… Are you still here?" Frankenstein asked. Shinwoo nodded.

"Yep. Let's get going." Shinwoo said happily, producing a number of boxes with his biomass manipulation that were larger inside than out.

"These are Tesseract boxes. They can hold up to fifteen times inside the outside circumference."

"So… They can hold a lot, then?" M-21 asked. Shinwoo nodded.

"Let's get going… No time to waste." Shinwoo said emphatically, throwing a box to each of the guards.

Packing took most of the day. Although Seira didn't have a lot of belongings per se, she had a lot of paintings, and musical instruments, and huge piles of paper that had tiny, neat handwriting on them. Shinwoo paused for a moment to read. Some of the pages were filled with poems, some with short stories. One or two seemed to be full length novels. All of them were incredibly thoughtful, and were dated, indicating her dramatic improvement over a rather short time.

Shinwoo organized them into folders, though, and put them neatly in boxes, moving on to her paintings, handling them with care. Some of the paintings were too large to fit in the box, not because the inside was too small, but because the opening of the box was not a Tesseract. Finally, they finished packing, and they put all the boxes together in a pile, and Shinwoo took a deep breath, focusing on the pile, and teleporting them to his apartment along with him and Seira, where he called out his clones.

"I do not think I will ever be able to get used to there being more than one of you. Hello, Shinwoos 1-13."  
"What's up, Seira!?" They all said at once, looking at the boxes."

"Time to move her in? Where is her room gonna be?" One of the Shinwoos asked.

"Hmm… Well… We need a big enough room to fit her things. She has a lot of paintings, and writing."

Shinwoo said this as he was thinking.

"I think the room next to mine. It's almost as big as mine, and we can easily turn it into a Tesseract like mine. Where she sleeps will be her choice, but that can be her studio."

"Is there room in your bed, Shinwoo?" Seira asked. Shinwoo pretended to think for a moment.'

"I think I could stand to make room in my bed for you, lovely lady." He said teasingly. Seira blushed slightly.

"As you humans would say, 'cool'. Let us begin, else night will come before we can finish." Seira said softly, lifting five boxes with her telekinesis, and removing the items, beginning to move them to her studio. By the time the sun began to set, the studio was finished, and everything was clean inside.

The thirteen Shinwoo clones sat down around the table. One of them pulled out a bottle of red wine that, by Seira's estimation, must have been worth several thousand American dollars.

"Who's up for something to drink!? Celebrate the move!" The one called, as another took out some glasses, and began pouring the wine.

"Cheers!" The original Shinwoo said brightly, tipping his glass, and taking a sip of the wine. He wasn't sure how long the wine had been there, but Frankenstein had said that anything that was there, Shinwoo was free to use. He assumed that included the wine cellar, although he wasn't sure that Frankenstein would want such an expensive vintage of wine drunk so casually. Still, it was fun, drinking wine with his thirteen clones and Seira.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Um… Are you… Miss Seira Loyard?" A woman asked, her daughter, a young blue eyed, red haired girl who looked to be about 11, close in tow at her front door. Seira nodded.

"Please, call me Seira… You must be Darin Moon. It is a pleasure to meet you." Seira said, bowing politely, and standing back to invite them. "Please, come in. Would you like to stay, ma'am?"

"I'm afraid I can't. I have a meeting to get to. From what I understand, she's in good hands."

"Yes, ma'am…" Seira said, not having looked the woman in the eye. She had gathered of Korean customs that it was impolite to look one's superiors, or elders in the eye. It also applied in a number of other circumstances, such as a boss. But those were the main examples.

"Please, come in, Miss Moon. Make yourself comfortable." Seira said politely, as Darin walked in.

"Vous etes tres beau, Mademoiselle Seira…" The girl said in perfect French.

"Ah, merci beaucoup. Vous etes Francaise?" Seira replie

"Oui. Ma mère est Francaise. Mon pére est Coréen." Darin said in a near whisper.

"Parlez-vous Coréen?" Seira asked. Darin nodded uncertainly.

"Un petite peu. Est très difficile. Très différent. Parlez vous Francais tres bien."

"Avez-vous une note por moi?"

The girl started, handing Seira a piece of paper, which Seira opened. It was in disjointed but technically correct Korean.

 _Miss Seira,_

 _Thank you for tutoring my daughter in violin. We only moved from France eight weeks ago, so she is still a novice with the Korean language. Please do not allow her to speak French save where she cannot otherwise communicate, assuming you can speak French. If not, she speaks English with near fluency. My husband managed to teach me Korean, and I am sure, intelligent as she is, that she can learn it as well._

 _Mme Moon_

"Okay… The note says I am not allowed to speak French to you. Let's get an idea of how familiar you are with the violin. Take out the instrument, tune it, and rosin the bow." Seira said. Darin nodded, and began setting up her violin, tuning it, rosining the bow, and drawing it across the strings, and adjusting the tuning before finally nodding, and taking out her sheet music.

"Play some chords for me, please." Seira said. Darin nodded.

"Don't just nod or shake your head. Respond to me, please. How do I know if you are actually understanding me, or just agreeing?"

"Y-yes… Seira-nim…"

"Please just call me Seira."

"Yes, Seira…"

"Good. Play your chords."

Darin began playing each chord in turn, her fingers moving adeptly over the strings. Seira noted that Darin had long, slender fingers, perfect for a violin player. Once she had finished playing her chords several times, Seira stopped her, and had her play a piece that she knew.

"I… Have a little bit familiar of an American country song… M-maybe you… Have familiar of it, also?"

Seira had to admit, Darin's grasp of Korean was pretty good for someone who wasn't a native, only had eight weeks to learn, and couldn't use telepathy.

"You speak Korean pretty well. But it would be I _am_ a little bit familiar _with_ an American country song."

"Merci… I mean, thank you." Darin said, catching herself.

"Good. Play the song, if you would."

Darin began to play Country Roads, surprising Seira. She was very good, catching every single note, and could even sing along with her own playing. She got to the second verse when Seira stopped her.

"Okay, you have a good grasp of playing the violin. What is it that you want out of these lessons that you don't already know?"

"Um… I-I was sort of wondering what kind of music you could play on the violin."

"You… Want to hear me play?"

"Yes, ma'am." Darin muttered. Seira nodded, and went into the other room, getting a violin, and tuning it and rosining the bow, beginning to play a piece that she had written herself back when she first gained Biological Manipulation.

It was a slow, mournful piece that left Darin breathless, tears flooding her crystal clear blue eyes. When Seira finished, Darin was so stunned that she couldn't even clap. Finally, she realized that Seira had finished.

"Th-that's… Amazing… But, your poster didn't specify which instruments you could teach. Which ones do you teach?"

"I teach all instruments. I am equally proficient in all instruments."

"What? But that's… Impossible."

"If you say so. I'm not as young as I look, though. Either way, it's unimportant. I still wish to know what you want out of these lessons."

"I-I want to be as good as you."

"Let's aim for smaller goals. Your long term goal is to become that good. But let's start with learning one song. Is there a particular song you want to learn?"

"Well… Actually… I-I'm already pretty good at the violin… M-my mother doesn't know this, but I want to learn to play the ukulele."

"The ukelele? Is there a particular reason?"

"Yes. I want to learn to play like Tiny Tim and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole."

"I think I can teach you to play some of their songs."

"Great! Can we learn Tiptoe Through The Tulips first?"

"I need to ask your mother's permission. I do not blame you for not telling her. But it is her money that is paying for these lessons. I would be doing her a disservice if I didn't wait for her permission. But, may I ask, do you dislike the violin? Did you wish to stop playing the instrument with which you already seem quite facile?"

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"Do you not want to play violin anymore?"

"Oh, I do. I want to be good at both." Darin said quietly. Seira smiled. Her first pupil had some serious ambition. Seira could admire that.

"Well, our lesson is complete for the day. And… Here's your mother…" Seira said, walking to the door, and bowing politely to Darin's mother.

"Hello, Mrs. Moon. Darin is quite talented with the violin. I'm quite impressed with how much she already knows. May I ask how long she has been playing the violin?"

"Well… She's eleven now, so, since she was five. She started learning when she entered elementary school. Why do you ask?"

"I-I want to learn how to play the ukulele, Mom."

"Ukulele? I don't mind, but I imagine we would have to find a specialized teacher for that. Do you happen to know of anyone who could teach her such a… Unique instrument, Miss Loyard?"

"I could teach her. I suggest that you continue to practice your violin, Darin. You are quite good, and I would hate to see you lose your facility with it.

"But if you wish, I can teach you to play the ukulele."

"Really? You're quite multitalented, aren't you, Miss Loyard…"

"I suppose, ma'am."

"May I be so bold as to ask how old you are?" Mrs. Moon asked. Seira nodded.

"For all intents and purposes, I am eighteen, ma'am. I have spent most of my life learning various instruments. I… come from a musically adept family."

"Hmm…" Mrs. Moon muttered. She clearly had doubts as to Seira's explanation. But she accepted it for the time.

"Well, I appreciate you giving us your time. How much do I owe you? The poster never specified prices."

"35,000 Won, ma'am."

"Of course. Here you go. Can I assume an appointment next week at the same time?"

"Yes, ma'am." Seira said, bowing politely, taking down the time of her appointment in her appointment book, and seeing the two of them out the door. Being new to the business, Seira only had one other appointment that day. A young boy wanted to start learning to play guitar.

At 3 in the afternoon, two things happened. Shinwoo came home, seeming really happy about something. He spoke briefly, but left her alone once a knock at the door came. At the same time, her 3:00 appointment came. A young boy, maybe 9 years old, with slightly shaggy, messy black hair and hazel eyes knocked on her door.

"Hey… I'm Rhee Yun. Are you… Shea-Ra Low-Yard?" He asked, spelling out her name on the piece of paper he was looking at.

"Please, call me Seira… Come in. You're just on time." Seira said politely, standing back from the door."

"You don't look very Korean." Yun said bluntly.

"I'm not. How much do you know about the guitar?"

"I can do chords. That's about it. I taught myself up till now."

"Okay. Tune your guitar first, and then play your chords in order."

"Yes, Ma'am." Yun said, taking the guitar out of its case, and tuning it, before sitting down, and playing out each of the chords, managing it pretty well. He was clearly a beginner, but he had gotten decent at his chords, even if he missed a string once or twice, he always went back and corrected it.

"Okay, so, what do you want to get out of these lessons?"

"I want to learn different songs."

"Okay, so your interest is in learning specific pieces rather than in learning technical guitar theory. Is there a song you'd like to start with?"

"I wanna learn California Girls, by the Beach Boys."

"Hmm… I take it your parents are fans of the Oldies… Cool…" Came a voice from the other room.

"I'll be out of your hair in a minute. I just need to get something." Shinwoo said, grabbing some papers, and hurrying to the other room.

"He your boyfriend?"

"Yes. Let me see… If I remember it correctly, I think I can teach you that song." Seira said, taking out a guitar of her own.

"Does this sound right?" She asked, strumming the guitar.

"Well East Coast girls are hip,

"I really dig those styles they wear.

"And the Southern girls with the way they talk

"They knock me out when I'm down there.

"The Mid-West farmer's daughters really make you feel alright  
"And the Northern girls with the way they kiss  
"They keep their boyfriends warm at night

"I wish they all could beat California

"I wish they all could beat California

"I wish they all could beat California girls!

"Is that what you meant, Yun?"

"Yes! That's awesome! I… I have a talent show coming up in like three months, so if you could teach me the song by then, I'd really appreciate it."

"Of course. I will do my best. Do you know the lyrics?"

"Yes. Is that important?"

"It does not hurt to know the lyrics. It helps keep the timing if you can do both at once. We'll just do the chords to start with. Once you've got that down, we'll start to add the words. You're right handed, correct?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I usually play left handed. I'm ambidextrous, but I'll have to reverse my hands to teach you right handed."

"Is that a problem, Miss Loyard?"

"Just Seira. It is not a problem.

"We will start today." Seira said, writing down the chords for the song, and putting a line under where they would stop.

"You can read the music, right?"

"Not very well. I can do straight chords, but I haven't gotten very good at the application yet. Sorry."

"That is alright. We will start from the beginning. Put your fingers here. Look at my hand closely." Seira said, putting her hands over the proper positions. Yun copied her hand position. Already his hand was trembling with the effort of keeping it in place like that.

"Good, now, strum…" Seira said. Yun followed her, and for the next half hour, they went over the chords with the result that by the end, he had improved significantly.

"You did very well today. Continue practicing at home. This is not something you can just do once a week and get good at."

"My father told me to ask you how much we owe you for these lessons." Yun said. Seira nodded.

"They're 35,000 Won."

"Okay… Here you go, then…" He said, pulling out some bills that clearly his father had given him to pay for the lesson."

"Thank you, Yun. Again, keep practicing, at least thirty minutes each night, although forty-five minutes to an hour is ideal."

"I will." Yun said. Seira nodded, and sent him on his way. As he closed the door, Shinwoo came out, and sighed happily, sitting down at the table, and smiling at Seira.

"You're a really good teacher, Seira. Do you have any more lessons for today?"

"No. You seem quite happy. What happened?"

"I got the studio. I've been setting up mats, mirrors, weapons, the stretching bar, all day."

"That's great, Shinwoo. How did you manage to convince them that they should rent to someone so young. Surely, they don't normally rent to someone who just turned eighteen so recently."

"Well, that's the beauty of telepathy. I planted a minor suggestion that I would easily be able to pay the rent. It's true, after all. How difficult can it be with my weapons business. I'm an arms dealer, essentially.

"Shinwoo… You know that Nobles don't condone using their mind control abilities on humans save when absolutely necessary."

"Seira, has anyone ever told you that you have a beautiful accent? It's so elegant and it flows like water. I've never heard anything like it."

"Thank you. I am not surprised. Our accent, indeed our language has remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years. In fact, most human languages evolved from the Noble language, which does not technically have a name save for the names that outsiders have given it, none of which we consider accurate or acceptable names. We simply call it the Noble Language."

"Could you teach me your language, Seira? And your accent?"

"The language, I can teach you. The accent… I would not use it until you've not only attained fluency in the language, but perfection in the accent, lest you offend those with whom you will soon be surrounding yourself. Do you understand? Any more than you would fake a human accent with less than perfect accuracy, you should not fake our accent with less than perfect accuracy."

"I understand, Seira. Would you like to take some lessons at my studio? I know you already have more expertise at martial arts than any human. But perhaps you'd like to learn an organized human martial art?"

"Perhaps I will. Have you found teachers to work under you?"

"Yes, a few. They heard of me because of my victory at all those martial arts tournaments, and agreed to teach at my studio. They're also taking lessons from me."

"What style of martial arts do you teach there?"

"Hapkido… Although if this studio succeeds, and some of my students make it to black belt, I may start offering Taekwondo lessons as well, and teaching them how to consolidate the two styles like I have."

"I don't know that many could perfect their martial arts as well as you have. Even without your Biological Manipulation, you have always shown a remarkable aptitude for martial arts, almost to the point of superhuman ability. I doubt that anyone could match that, no matter how much you trained them."

"Well, we won't know until we try. I could just teach you the two styles via telepathy, and you could become a teacher at my dojang."

"I will consider it." Seira said in her usual near whisper. In reality, she would have been happy to accept such a modification. It would help her ability to defend her friends. However, she was still ambivalent as to how much she should really modify herself, even now that she had accepted Biological Manipulation.

It was true that as a Noble, she owed it not only to herself, but to humans and Nobles alike, to become as powerful as she could so that she could protect them as best she could. However, was it wrong to continue to evolve herself? Was it wrong to behave in such a human manner? Either way, she was unsure. Shinwoo looked at her evenly.

"You seem conflicted about something. Is something wrong? Is it that you're regretting becoming a biouser?" he asked. Seira shook her head.

"I am concerned not about becoming a biouser. If the Noblesse was willing to accept that modification, there is no reason that I should be ashamed to. But, should I continue to accept such artificial evolutions? Should I continue to make myself more powerful?

"That is exactly what the humans against whom we have been fighting are wont to do. Should I not hold myself to a higher standard?"

"Well, in a way, yes. And in a way, is accepting knowledge of martial arts really 'artificial evolution', as you have called it. Certainly the martial arts will make you more formidable. But it cannot be considered a power in itself."

"I believe you are splitting hairs, Han Shinwoo…" Seira said gently. Shinwoo shrugged.

"Maybe. Or maybe you're being too timid in the application of your power. You have already accepted Biological Manipulation. Why not make of it what you can? That includes gaining knowledge through it. Here, how about I imbue you with one style of martial arts? And if you still believe you are overstepping your bounds, we can stop."

"Very well. Imbue me with… What was the style you mentioned?"

"Hapkido, and Taekwondo, although there are other styles that I know, and they might well be ones more suited toward your style of combat, namely your use of your scythe. However, certain styles of unarmed fighting could be highly effective for ending a fight before it comes to using your scythe."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"I trust your judgment. You may imbue me with any styles of martial arts you deem necessary." Seira said. The truth was, she enjoyed having this power, although she was meditating for at least forty minutes each day in fear of being overwhelmed by the pleasure of her new powers.

Shinwoo nodded, and put his thumb on Seira's forehead, concentrating, and imbuing her with Hapkido, Taekwondo, Capoeira, Baguazhang, Xingyiquan, Tai Chi, Krav Maga, and of course, how to mix Hapkido and Taekwondo as he had been doing and even further knowledge that he had evolved in himself on scythe fighting. He had little use for it, himself, since he was aware that fighting with a scythe was a strange combat style, and difficult to pull off in close quarters.

The size of a scythe required one to have plenty of space to swing it, although the more proficient you were, the less that was true, it still wasn't a weapon that you could easily fight with in an alley. Seira gasped as the knowledge overwhelmed her, and she staggered, nearly collapsing. She caught herself on the couch, and sat down, feeling terribly dizzy.

After a few minutes, she started to come about, and she stood up, sighing. She still had a terrible headache. However, she was feeling better quickly. She shook her head.

"I… How is it that you know how to fight with a scythe better than I did? My clan developed the use of a scythe as a weapon. That is why our leader was called…"

"The Grim Reaper, I know. Well, I can't imagine a situation when it would be useful for me personally to know how to fight with a scythe. But, I evolved Weapon Mastery into myself. Namely, unrivaled proficiency with all weapons. I figured it was only a matter of time until I transferred some of my martial arts knowledge to you. After all, who else would I rather have as a teacher at my martial arts studio? Who could I trust more than you?"

"I-I'm flattered… But, why a scythe?"

"I told you, it wasn't a scythe specifically. It was all weapons… Guns, swords, spears, naginatas, staffs, knives. Any weapon you can think of, I can use. And now the same is true of you. You could pick up just about anything and use it as a weapon, although, I don't doubt that a scythe is still your best option."

"I see." Seira said simply. Shinwoo couldn't tell what she was thinking. She looked at him evenly. He still couldn't tell what she was thinking. For a long minute, they looked at each other. Finally, Seira spoke.

"If you are worried that I am angry, I am not. There will naturally be more than one person who can use a scythe in a world of 7.5 billion people."

"Have you ever considered that the world population is too high? Every year, it seems to increase. How many years before it's ten billion people, and the planet can no longer support us? There has to be a way to reduce the population… That, or make the planet more productive.

"Of course, to do that, we would need to reduce our Carbon footprint, turn land that has no business growing food arable, turn 3/4 if not more of the planet vegetarian, and lower the global temperature to the point that it was before the Industrial Revolution. The odds of us doing all those things are slim to none." Shinwoo said pessimistically.

"Well… You, the Noblesse, and I… Along with Adelheid all have Biological Manipulation. It would be child's play to infect the entire world. Of course, the moral and ethical ramifications of such an act would be severe at best, especially given the fact that it would kill 99% of those it does infect."

"Seira… I think you're underestimating the Blacklight Virus's ability to generate.

"With the virus, we could easily create a modified version that is significantly less deadly… Of course, I doubt that there's much way we could reduce the lethality below… Perhaps 70%. That's still a huge chunk of the human population, and it would only leave the planet with 2.22 billion people left. Frankly, I would have been satisfied to lower the world population by between 2.5 and 3 billion people.

"But this discussion is all academic, since I'm personally unwilling to take such drastic and potentially violent actions. I'm no judge. I don't have the right to measure the value of one person's life against another's.

"However, I think I may know a way to affect that change without affecting any violence whatsoever. It's… Not certain that it will work, but… 98.7% of the computer-run projections I've done end in a high success rate, at least 92% success."

"What about the other 8%?"

"They are either resistant to the 'cure' or in isolated enough pockets that the 'cure' doesn't readily reach them. That generally only applies to island populations that are protected by inconvenient wind and weather patterns, or far enough out of the way as to be inherently inconvenient. Take the Caribbean islands, Greenland, and some of the Northernmost parts of Canada, and Russia.

"I believe that with the Headmaster's help, I can find a way to affect 100% of the world."

"What is your 'cure'? Is it unethical, dangerous, or liable to result in a high death rate? If so, I strongly advise you not to use it."

"No. In fact, it is not likely to cause any deaths or injuries. I intend to infect entire forests with pre-programmed biomass.

"The biomass will hopefully infect every human in the world… As I said, with the Headmaster's help, and it will reduce the fecundity of all infected humans. Thereafter, the birth rate will decrease. In addition, I believe I can program the cure to make the infected a carrier as well for the next evolution of humanity. Any children they do have will be stronger, faster, more durable, and smarter than modern humans, and they will have evolutionary abilities.

"The abilities will, by necessity, be subtle, such as night vision, slightly enhanced healing, enhanced distance vision, etcetera. Individual abilities will vary human to human. But the next generation will be superior to the current generation, and smaller."

"And you are certain that this doesn't fall under the category of 'unethical'? Would tampering with the genetic code of the humans who will inherit the earth not count as undue influence?"

"It's possible. But let me pose you a question, grasshopper. What would you do instead?" Shinwoo asked. Seira thought for a moment. She didn't have any ideas better than Shinwoo's. In fact, his plan was ingenious.

It would be the next step in evolution… Although it would likely confound scientists for generations. Who could conceive of evolution occurring so rapidly. Usually, a single human demonstrates a single, small mutation. If the mutation proves beneficial, they pass it on to the next generation.

That was how humans and primates evolved from their common ancestor… One mutation at a time. This went against everything that science had ever indicated, and would likely be a contentious area for hundreds of years, or more.

"Are you not worried about the uproar that will happen in the wake of hundreds, if not thousands of babies being born at the next evolutionary stage? Evolution has always happened mutation by mutation, one human at a time. Now, you're going to cause millions of babies to be born with dozens if not more mutations. It would be like if Australopithecus Africanus evolved directly into modern Homo Sapiens. What would scientists think if that happened?

"What would laypeople think? Most people believe in evolution. But, a significant minority believe in… Creationism? Intelligent Design? Whatever it is that Christians call it. What will they say? Will their assertion that humans were created from whole cloth begin to gain credence in the scientific community? Perhaps the children will be killed because people are afraid of them. That has happened in the distant past. Those with unusual abilities were killed out of fear, especially in unenlightened areas of the world.

"Would you want that to happen? Could you let that happen to children who have done nothing to deserve such a fate?" Seira asked. Shinwoo nodded, seeming concerned briefly.

"You make an excellent point. But as I've said, what then would you have me do? This problem needs to be solved sooner rather than later."

"You could simply reduce man's fecudity, without evolving them as well." Seira said, knowing that Shinwoo was going to do what he would do regardless.

"But then, humans would remain foolish, dangerous creatures that will still likely destroy the world that they still need.

"However, this evolution will give them the ability to exceed current peak human ability, make them smarter, and more capable than even the most erudite of current humans. Is that not something we should strive for?"

"I suppose so. I know I can't stop you. But, in the past, whenever a superior breed and their lessers meet, the superior breed always wipes out said lessers.

"Whether this is through war, or simple genocide, the superior species will inevitably win. Is such a catastrophe something you want?"

"Actually, modern humans didn't commit genocide in most cases. They simply bred out the previous generation. They mated with them, and in time, the previous generation parents died, and modern humans prevailed, with no violence whatsoever. Perhaps that is what will happen in this case.

"But, I need to go meet Raizel, and Adelheid. I invite you to join us as well. We have decided to join forces to infect an entire forest with the programmed virus. It will multiply in the trees, and the grass, and anything biological, except the animals, quadrupling in number each day. After six months, they're programmed to self-release, and spread.

"They're then programmed to seek out large forests across the world, and infect them. This will maximize the spread of the virus, and hopefully, the entire world will be infected. Fortunately, with today's global economy and society, it's likely that even if a number of countries are missed completely.

"Interracial and international marriage will take care of it within ten to fifteen generations with the result that within 100 years at most, the entire world will be populated with the superior species that we have created."

"Shinwoo… Have you ever read the book, _Frankenstein_?" Seira asked. Shinwoo shook his head.

"Gothic literature isn't my cup of tea, so to speak, the notable exceptions being Edgar Allen Poe, and Bram Stoker, both of whose works I have enjoyed immensely."

"Yes, well… In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley wrote of a mad scientist, named Doctor Viktor Frankenstein. He created a monstrosity that was only ever called Frankenstein's Monster.

"The scientist, Viktor Frankenstein never gave the monster a name. He only ever called it 'wretch', 'demon', 'monster', 'vile insect'. He treated it as a monster, and it became one. The moral of the story was to ask who was the greater monster, the man or the invention he created. So, I ask you. Is it your place to 'play God' as it were? Is it your place to change the human race as we know it?"

"I hate to seem arrogant, especially in the face of your very eloquent speech, but… If not my place, then whose? The Union, who would use them to further their own purposes? The Chinese, who would put such humans in their military, and use them to subjugate their own people? Scientists, who would treat the humans as science projects rather than as people?

"Why not create them in a free environment, where they can live as they will, and hopefully not be unduly influenced by those who would use them for ill?"

"You're right, Shinwoo. It's high time for a change. And, frankly, your idea is a good one. I approve of it. Whenever you're ready to start a new chapter for humanity, I'll be there to watch it unfold with you."

"Thank you, Seira. Well, then all that's left is to release the virus. Oh, I… Misled you slightly. About… Six months, and one week ago, I infected the entire Seoul Forest with large amounts of the Cure Virus, and now, I believe it's ready to be released. As soon as I snap my fingers, the viral cells will be released, and will spread on the wind to the four corners of the earth… So to speak. I suspect that within a month, the entire planet will be covered with carriers of the Cure Virus.

"Thereafter, any children that the carriers have will be of the next level of humanity." Shinwoo said, snapping his fingers. He sighed in contentment as he felt the trees release their massive loads, and imagined the changes that the world would soon undergo. For a while, things would be chaotic. But, within ten years… Maybe twenty, things would settle down, and everything would be normal again.

Shinwoo estimated that modern humans had approximately a 20% chance of getting pregnant, or a 1 in 5 chance. His Cure Virus aimed to cut that in half, or make it a 10% or 1 in 10 to chance. That probably wouldn't cut the world population in half. But it would reduce it by at least 2 billion within a reasonable amount of time, and eventually cut the population in half… Hopefully. Scientists would be puzzled at first, but they would figure it out, or simply chalk it up to an anomalous, but desirable change.

"Han Shinwoo…" Frankenstein said quietly. Shinwoo smiled politely.

"Yes? Before you ask, the answer is yes. I have released en masse the Cure Virus that I mentioned. I suspect that, even within just a week, most of Asia has been infected.

"The virus has been programmed to prioritize. It prioritizes infecting forests and cities. That will allow it to create more of itself while simultaneously infecting the largest populations possible. It will then release from those places it has infected, and spread further.

"I suspect that it won't take more than a year for the entire world to be infected. Hopefully, it will take only a few months."

"What are the odds that anyone will die from this 'Cure Virus" of yours?" Frankenstein asked.

Shinwoo thought for a minute, seeming to count on his fingers, his mouth running silently. Frankenstein was sure that this was most likely an affectation left over from when he was a normal human, as his ability to calculate exceeded even the most advanced computers, now.

"Approximately 0.01%. People who are already in failing health are more likely to be negatively affected, as well as pregnant women. There is about a 50% chance that it will spontaneously abort some pregnancies, though this will most likely only happen to women in the first trimester of said pregnancy.

"This is because the virus is programmed to reduce the chance of women becoming pregnant from approximately 20% to approximately 10%, the purpose of this being to reduce the world population over time. Yes, there were some dangers involved.

"However, the next generation of humans will be better for it."

"And you thought this was your choice to make?" Frankenstein asked. Shinwoo shrugged.

"If not mine, then whose? Who else has the ability? Scientists, who would treat the superhuman subjects as lab rats rather than as people? Militaries, who would train them to kill their enemies? No, no… No. I have not used any form of discrimination.

"Anyone who dies will die not because I selected them to die, but because they were not able to withstand the changes. Fortunately, most of the changes will be taking place in the infants who are to be born. Current humans are infected, and the virus is programmed to make them carriers. If they have contact with another uninfected human, and pass the virus to said human, they will also become carriers."

"Shinwoo, your plan is brilliant. Is reducing the likelihood of getting pregnant the only thing the virus does?"  
"No. Humans who are born from a carrier will have naturally enhanced abilities, both physical and mental. They will have low level regeneration, in other words, accelerated healing. They will be able to see in low light and darkness, and some may develop unusual abilities akin to those of modified humans.

"However, the number who develop such high level abilities is only liable to be maybe 5-8% of the population, and will likely be caused by an uncommon sensitivity to the virus, and a high reactivity rate. The abilities will be modest, the ability to see auras, telepathy, one ability, physical or mental, advanced beyond that of their fellows. Either way, it will likely be easily hidden."

"And you believe that this will improve humanity? What about the backlash that it is liable to cause in the scientific community? After all, Evolution is wont to happen one mutation at a time. Having children be born with so many mutations at once, and such obvious mutations, will cause an uproar, especially amongst scientists who are not familiar with human modification, which is the majority of the scientific community."

"That is true. But something drastic needed to be done. And if the worst thing that comes of this is a shock amongst scientists, I think it is more than worth it."

"But what if they follow the trend that man has always followed? After all, anatomically modern humans wiped out their genetic predecessors, as did the genetic predecessors to their predecessors. Why should this new evolution be any different? You could have just started a war.

"After all, they are vastly superior, by your own admission."

"Well, it's possible that such a thing could happen. But with nuclear weaponry being what it is, I think that war is less likely. After all, who wants a nuclear war? Besides, odds are that any common humans will just be bred out by the next generation. The odds that more than a few normal humans will be left is fairly slim.

"It's likely that the virus will cover the entire world within the month. And yes, there will be normal human children born within that time. But thereafter, only advanced humans will be born. Once they begin to show their abilities in maybe ten years, I have already prepared a scientific article to release under the pseudonym, Sascha K. Fagin.

"It will elucidate that these advanced abilities are the unexpected, but potentially desirable result of artificial additives and medications that have inundated society for generations, and that although there is perhaps a 0.1% chance of complications later in life for these children.

"However, they offer opportunities to society that were previously unavailable, and that the apparent drop in pregnancy rate is a result of the same additives and medications, but that it will ultimately be for the best that the global population will begin to drop, and hopefully will thereafter stabilize."

"You have put great thought into this, have you not, Han Shinwoo?" Raizel asked.

"Yes, Noblesse… I have, and I believe that in twenty years, most people will thank me for it."

"Noblesse? Shinwoo… You underwent the evolution you were talking about, didn't you?" Frankenstein asked. Shinwoo nodded.

"I'm a Noble. My eyes are blue because I modified them so as not to arouse suspicion. I'm also a Werewolf, although I won't use those powers unless it's absolutely vital. They're simply too conspicuous."

"Interesting. Excuse me, Shinwoo… Someone is at my door." Frankenstein said politely, standing and going to the intercom.

"Hello? How may I help you?"

"Good afternoon, Professor…" Came a distressingly familiar voice."

"Tesamu… I really must request that you leave. Miss Yuna will no longer be your victim."

"Miss Yuna? Oh, her. No, no. I only went after her to anger Shinwoo… He was the one I was after.

"Not in the way you are thinking, though. I still want him to join the Union, preferably as the new Fifth Elder. I would ask that you join as well, Professor, as the Second Elder. But I know you won't. I have to ask, though."

"Well, you are correct. Neither of us intend to join the Union."

"Pity. I understand that Shinwoo has recently undertaken a very ambitious project, forcing a worldwide evolution in the human race. I never cease to wonder at the ingenuity of people. Even I would not have considered such an option. I have known for a long time, Shinwoo… That the world population needed to decrease. Your solution is an elegant one. Ideally, it causes no deaths, and after the infected generation, it will not even register as a disease, but rather as evolution.

"I must say that I approve. That said, Shinwoo, might I have the opportunity to speak with you briefly. You may bring anyone you like with you, if, as I suspect, you do not trust me."

"Why should I speak with you? Yuna may be recovering. She's got a nice boyfriend, now. But she's still traumatized from your actions against her. However, she has taken control of her life. She asked me recently to teach her martial arts. I used my Biological Manipulation to teach her.

"So again, give me one reason why I should talk to you about anything."

"Because you'd have, admittedly unnecessary, but justified, concerns that I would lash out at your friends if you did not. I have no interest in your friends. Your modified human friends are powerful, but not to the level that the Union couldn't make a dozen more like them in a matter of weeks.

"Your short statured friend Ikhan is brilliant, but not so brilliant that the Union doesn't have fifty scientists of comparable talent. Your female actress friend is beautiful, but that is of little use to us save perhaps as a visible representative, and Miss Yuna really serves almost no purpose, save to anger you. So you see? You have no reason to hate me. I simply wish to… Compare notes with you, so to speak. Perhaps I could stand to learn something from you, young as you are."

"Fine. But hurry it up. I don't have all day. I need to meet people more important than you, and I'd rather say no to you than be late." Shinwoo said, walking out the door and putting on shoes made of biomass, scowling at Tesamu. The young looking blonde man smiled, and touched Shinwoo's forehead. Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of power overcame him, and he nearly collapsed, catching himself at the last minute.

"I have given you, just now, ultimate power. You may not comprehend what exactly that means, but its name is Life Lordship. You should feel honored. I have given a few people special powers in the past, somewhat akin to my own ability, though never as great as mine. I can't have people aiming to overpower me. You have received a great honor. You are still not nearly as experienced as I am, so do not bother trying to defeat me. But…"

"I defeated you once, I can defeat you again if need be." Shinwoo said confidently. Tesamu laughed.

"You poor, simple fool. You didn't defeat me. I _let_ you win. I wanted you to have those powers. It was an inferior clone that I once made that I sent to fight you. I knew he would lose, and thus, that you would gain his abilities. Did you really think that in 800 years, I have not come up with contingencies for every situation?"

"In my experience, it's impossible to plan for every eventuality. You can only be as prepared as you can, and trust the rest to strength and luck."

"You're wrong, Han Shinwoo, but overall, you make a good point.

"For most humans, their short lifespan limits their ability to plan ahead for more than a few possibilities, and they prioritize the most likely situations, not keeping in mind the fact that if you are in enough such situations, no matter how unlikely, will come up at least once.

"I have made arrangements for every such eventuality, even if one such arrangement is only keeping spares of myself in case one of me is killed. It has never once happened until I met you. And even though I drastically weakened the clone I sent, I still was concerned that you would not measure up. But you acquitted yourself in spades."

"Thanks. Now please leave. As I've said, I have people to meet, and they are _far_ more important than you."

"Hm… More important than me… Perhaps. But remember that importance is a subjective thing. To you, perhaps, your friends are more important. But in the eyes of the world, the Union is the most important organization that exists, and as its leader, I stand atop that organization.

"So you would do well to remember that none can oppose me, and that perhaps my importance goes beyond subjective and personal opinions… Don't forget, Han Shinwoo…" Tesamu said with a smile. "You and I… We're connected. You may be able to walk away from me when you like, but you can never escape. Like that song by the Eagles… You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

"Despite your rapid growth, your power is as nothing compared to mine. You should join the Union… After all, you wouldn't want anything… Unfortunate to happen to your lovely Miss Seira, would you?" Tesamu asked, causing Shinwoo to stop dead in his tracks, his fists clenching.

"Is that a threat, asswipe!?" Shinwoo snarled, turning around, his aura positively pouring off of him. Tesamu had to admit that it was almost as frightening as having felt Frankenstein's aura.

"A threat? No. I don't need to resort to threats. They are indicative of a lesser man. Rather, I wish you would reconsider. I have seen your inventions, and they impress me greatly. You have the power, intellect, and wisdom of a much older modified human, but the ingenuity of idealistic youth. They go very well together, and I hope you know that both you and Miss Loyard are more than welcome in the Union. I can feel that you possess the powers both of a Noble, and of a Werewolf.

"Imagine all that the Union could learn from you, that humanity could learn from you. Don't deprive humanity of your talents."

"I'm not. I have already released what I call "The Cure Virus".

"It infects people, and turns them into carriers. They will show few if any symptoms, save that their odds of having a child are cut in half, approximately. Many, I suspect, their chances of conceiving will be less than half, now. In addition, I fully intend to release many of my other inventions, of which I have many.

"I hardly need money. I already make more than enough, and beyond that, I don't eat, drink, breathe, or need clothes, haircuts, or any such human necessities. And since they were all free for me to make, I can release them for a relatively nominal charge. Now, I really must go. Goodbye." Shinwoo said, teleporting away.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late."

"Oh, that's alright, Shinwoo. We just got here as well. Everyone else should be here soon. When they get here, we'll give you the news. Ah, and here are Rai and Ras. Hey!" Ikhan called brightly.

"Hello, everyone." Raskreia said for both of them. Raizel simply remained silent as usual. He and Raskreia were holding hands, presumably so that Rai wouldn't get lost.

Shortly thereafter, Rael showed up, scowling as usual, followed by Muzaka and Garda, M-21, who smiled uncertainly at Yuna, Tao and Takeo. Regis and Seira took almost ten more minutes to get there. After them, the rest of Frankenstein's household, including Yuizi, Artemis, Frankenstein and Lunark, who looked to be with Frankenstein at the moment, maybe on a date.

"Okay… Everyone is here, now. So, let us get on with the news." Regis said in his usual no-nonsense tone. "Rael and I have enjoyed our stay… At least I have. I can't and won't speak for Rael on that account. But we both have duties as the leaders of our respective clans. So, as much as I would enjoy staying and continuing to be friends with all of you, I really must return to Lukedonia. Rael is coming with me. It is likely that we won't see each other again in any significant capacity.

"We will of course be at the Lord's and the Noblesse's wedding. So, it is likely that we will see you there. Beyond that, there are no promises."

"Okay… Guess I'm up next. Garda and I have been talking about it. We're moving out of Frankenstein's house. We want to strike out on our own. We're looking for a home. Any suggestions where we might find one?"

"Well… Between Rai, Seira and myself, we could build you one. That would take a lot more work on your part, though. Zoning permits, buying empty property, making sure that it's suitable for building on. You would be better served just buying a house." Shinwoo said. "And for that, I have no suggestions."

"I have some news. I intend to move out of Principal Lee's home as well. Shinwoo and I will be cohabiting.

"By all rights, we are still living under Principal Lee's roof, since Shinwoo rents from the headmaster. But we will not be living with the Noblesse and the headmaster." Seira said. Shinwoo nodded. He was a little bit sad. They weren't going to be together too much longer. He had a feeling he knew what the rest of them were going to say.

"I've been accepted to a college fairly close to here. So, actually, I'm staying in the area." Yuna said, seeming sad as well. She was staying, but so many of her friends were splitting up.

"I've actually been accepted to a college in Japan. It's famous for its IT and computer science departments. I'm hoping that I can learn something here. I want to get a degree in computer programming. So, I'll unfortunately be far away shortly." Ikhan said.

"I hope that I'll be able to come home around the holidays. But I don't think I will have that kind of money."

"Well… In light of this group looking like it's going to be splitting up, I think we should have a farewell party…" Shinwoo said cheerfully.

Secretly, he wished that these days could last just a little bit longer. But life had to go on, and even if he was immortal, his friends were not, and as such, they would eventually die… And he wouldn't.

His friends had maybe 70 or 80 years at most. Time was… Unlimited for him.

"Where should we have the party?" Yuna asked. Frankenstein smiled.

"Why, at my house, of course. It seems the best place. We have adequate supplies, and great food, games."

"Well… It does seem to make sense. After all, we've been going to Principal Lee's house for years. When will we have the party?"

"This Saturday. We'll be leaving for our respective destinies shortly thereafter." Shinwoo said with a sad smile.

"Shinwoo… Is something wrong?" Yuna asked, looking at him concernedly. Shinwoo shook his head.

"No. Nothing."

"You're lying." Yuna said with a scowl. Shinwoo sighed.

"It would do nobody any good for me to talk about it."

"It would help you, Shinwoo… Your friends are reaching out to you. You should not spurn their attempts." Frankenstein said quietly. Shinwoo shook his head.

"I… I'm just a little bit sad about us going our separate ways. Sure, we may see each other in the future. But we'll all be too busy to hang out for more than a few hours. And… I… I'm never going to die. As difficult as it is to believe that, my regeneration restores me on a cellular level.

"My Telomeres repair themselves as fast as they die. I'll never age. I'll never die. You guys, though… You have… Seventy, maybe eighty years more. That's like the blink of an eye in the face of the Universe… Principal Lee understands. The Noblesse and the Lord understand, as does any Noble or Werewolf. But… Well…"

"Seventy or eighty years is a long time, Shinwoo… So much can happen in that time… Say, does your… Cure Virus's full effect work on those who are initially infected? For instance, if it infected a person, would it make them stronger and all that, or does it only work on the children of those who are infected?" Ikhan asked. Shinwoo sighed.

"Well, the current mutation of the virus only stays active in the children of those infected. The infected become carriers, so they display no symptoms, save for the decreased rate of birth. However, I suppose I could make a second mutation that affects those that it infects. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I… Wondered if you could infect me. That way I could live longer. It would be much longer before you had to worry about losing your friends.

"Besides, I like the idea of being smarter, stronger and faster. Think of what I could accomplish in computers."

"Well… Having already made a first mutation, a second one wouldn't be overly difficult. I would need to do a little bit of research and some trials, as I did with the first mutation. But I think I could manage." Shinwoo said.

"I can probably have it ready by the time of the party. I can offer it to all of you, if you want."

"You… Want to infect us with a virus? How do we know that it won't hurt us? After all, nobody has been born with the evolutions, and people have only been being infected for less than a week. There's no guarantee that it won't be harmful."

"You make a good point. I actually did a huge amount of research, and trial and error with the first mutation, though. I did animal testing, in the beginning on rats. But then, I moved onto higher order organisms. Some of them died. But eventually, I perfected the virus. I'm certain that within a week, I can modify the virus for you guys. I won't make you accept the virus, though."

"But that's exactly what you did to 7.3 billion other people… Including us, now I think about it." Suyi said quietly. Shinwoo sighed.

"That's right. We were right in the epicenter of the viral release. It would have affected all of Seoul, and then North and South Korea within hours at most. All of us have been infected.

"But that's beside the point. You didn't ask the 7.3 billion people of the world if they wanted the original Cure Virus. You assumed that you knew what was best for them better than they did." Ikhan said. Shinwoo nodded.

"It's true. That was arrogant of me. But let me ask you. What would you have me do now? I can't take back the virus, now that it's infected at least ¾ of the world.

"Besides, I didn't hurt anyone. I merely tweaked their reproductive system slightly. It's the next generation that's going to be a huge shock, and that shock will likely be for the better. They'll be superior both physically and mentally to normal humans. Where's the downside?"

"Only the ethical ramifications of playing God." Yuna said, surprised at how blasé Shinwoo was being. It was like she didn't even know him anymore.

"Well… Yes, I suppose there are potential ethical questions to be asked here. But in the long run, I estimate that this will be beneficial to the world. Everything has ethical issues surrounding it at some level. Psychiatry can be considered social control via medication. Transhumanism, or the improvement of the human gene pool via mechanical and medical alteration of genes are, similar to this, playing God. And don't even get me started on vaccinations.

"The point is that all three of those things have been done to some extent, and have been proven to be beneficial. But in the beginning, they could not have known that. Psychiatry could have backfired terribly, regardless of the medical trials for the medications. But now, there's a medicine for almost everything, and we've eliminated almost every disease with vaccinations and medication. Obviously, certain diseases still terrify people because they have no cure as yet.

"But for those, we grow closer all the time. So, why then should someone not try to help humanity take this next step in its evolution."

"Well… I… I don't have any argument against that… But… I-I still think it's wrong."

"I respect that. Many people think psychiatry and vaccinations are wrong as well." Shinwoo said.

"It's not the same thing! They're completely different!" Yuna snapped, storming away.

"Wait! The party will start at 6, if that's alright with Frankenstein and the Noblesse."

"That's quite fine." Frankenstein said helplessly. He had really been caught in the middle of this argument. He had to say that he agreed that Shinwoo had probably not fully considered the ethical ramifications of the decision he made. However, Shinwoo's actions were noble in a way, and they probably would help in the long run.

"I'll have snacks made for all of you. We can, as you say, go out in style." Frankenstein said cheerfully, privately hoping that someone would help clean the house afterward. He would obviously make the RK-8 help, but beyond that, maybe Shinwoo would help. His telekinesis would be highly useful.

The rest of the week passed slowly and anxiously. Shinwoo especially dreaded the day of the party, not because he didn't want to see his friends one last time, but because seeing them one last time was admitting that it was the last time he would be seeing them all together. Yuna would still be in the general area, and Suyi might be by occasionally. But other than them, and of course, Raizel, Raskreia and the rest of Frankenstein's house, there would be precious few opportunities to see his friends.

He was barely able to concentrate in teaching his martial arts school. He had perfectly blended Taekwondo and Hapkido in record time, and was teaching both styles and was teaching the teachers that he had hired the mixed style so that eventually, he could teach his advanced students the mixed style. Since he was unable to concentrate, he left the teaching to the other teachers, who were happy to help.

And when the day came, he sighed, taking Seira's hand and walking up to Frankenstein's door.

"I have the Cure Virus with me, Seira… I'm certain of its efficacy, but…"

"But their protests have affected you. Your friends' words have swayed you as mine could not." Seira said, not seeming angry, only stating it as fact.

"Y-yes… Seira… I-it's… It's not that I don't trust you. I-it's not that I think less of your opinion… I just…"

"Hearing it from me was one thing. You respect my opinion, but… Alas, it was only one person's opinion. Hearing the same thoughts echoed in other voices, especially those of your friends, has shaken your resolve in this effort.

"Do you now believe that your intentions were less noble than you previously convinced yourself?" Seira asked. Shinwoo gulped, shaking his head.

"No… That's not it."

"Or perhaps you believe that though your intentions were noble, the idea was a bad one."

"No… The idea was a good one. It was the most logical course of action, the logical conclusion of an entire age. However, it disregarded potential ethical dilemmas that might hinder another scientist from undertaking the same course of action."

"You fear that you were playing God?"

"I don't believe in God. Besides, since the beginning of time, man has done little but play God. Why should we stop now? That said, thinking that I was the right person to set in motion such a meteoric change in humanity… Was that wrong?"

"Is it possible to repeal your possibly dubious gift to the world?" Seira asked. Shinwoo laughed humorlessly.

"Is it possible to suck up a tidal wave with a bendy straw? No… Although the Cure Virus was released to the world no more than two weeks ago, it has likely already affected most of Europe and Asia, if not Africa as well. Soon, it will inundate North and South America, and isolated areas of the world like Greenland. Soon, no area of the world will be free of the virus.

"I could repeal it right now. The viral cells are programmed with my biosignature by virtue of having been created by me. But there would inevitably be cells that are left behind. They would infect trees and multiply, then continue their programmed purpose. Stopping the virus is like eliminating a cockroach infestation. Most will die, but some will survive, then multiply, and multiply again, and again. Do you see?"

"I do. Since you cannot stop it, do not worry about it. It will only cause undue stress. Offer the modified virus to your friends. If they desire it, they will accept it. If not, they can refuse it. It truly is that simple." Seira said, knocking on the door, and being invited in almost immediately by Frankenstein, who stood back with a smile, and then closed the door.

"Hey, guys… Ikhan… I brought the mutated version of the virus. It really was a simple matter, to isolate a few key strands of code in the virus and alter their function."

"That's simple? I could manage that if it were a computer virus, but not a medical virus." Ikhan said with a laugh. Shinwoo nodded.

"Do you still want to be infected with it? It will likely take a day or so to incubate inside you… It's very fast acting."

"Yes. I still want to be infected… It… It won't be transmissible through contact, will it?"

"It might. I haven't had time to test that aspect of it. I should go over its immediate effects on you, though. Afterward, you will, in all probability suffer from nausea, vomiting, fever and sweating. Those will undoubtedly abate after about… Two days. The fever is unlikely to exceed 38.56oC, and for the vomiting and sweating, I advise you keep yourself hydrated. The sweating will be profuse, and the vomiting won't be doing you any favors.

"Like I said, you'll be miserable for maybe two days. But after that, you'll be feeling stronger and better than ever. Fresh air will help mitigate the symptoms of the immediate onset of the illness. So if you're going to stay inside, keep your windows open. Now that I have mentioned the immediate effects of the virus, do you still care to risk it, and beyond that… Does anyone else care to be infected?"

"Y-you're… You're _absolutely_ sure that this virus won't just be making us sick?"

"Of course that's what this virus is doing. That's what all viruses do. But after the initial illness, you will become nothing more than carriers.

"A carrier is a person or animal who is infected with the virus, but shows no symptoms. They can still potentially pass on the virus without even knowing it. I tried to make it so this mutation couldn't be passed on. But I can't guarantee that it worked. I haven't had the time to test it.

"Frankly, that's why the pilgrims who colonized America were so damn dangerous. It wasn't their guns. It wasn't the fact that they had armor, and were ripping down the natives' forests, and kidnapping and having their way with their women, though… That was no small part of it. Their main danger was that they carried with them viruses and diseases to which the natives had no resistance.

"Imagine if an alien race came to our planet and suddenly, the ten government agents that made first contact with them came down with an illness that doctors had no reference for. They had never seen its like before. They didn't even know how to classify it. It was not virus, or poison, or bacteria, or fungus, or prion. Now, the agents naturally went home to their families.

"All of them probably had husbands or wives, and children, and maybe their kids or they had friends over. How long did the disease take to show symptoms? They didn't know, so how many people had they infected? How many would die? Had they unwittingly doomed the human race to destruction? That's what the Native Americans faced.

"Cholera, even the Common Cold and Influenza. Cholera and Influenza were potentially fatal for Europeans. What do you think they did to the Natives who had never experienced them before? Where was I going with this? I had a point, I'm sure of it. I wasn't just lecturing, was I?"

"Well, you were lecturing, Han Shinwoo… But I think you were explaining what a carrier was." Frankenstein said with a laugh.

"Right! Carriers are effectively infected with the disease, but show no symptoms, and very likely never will. In the case of the Cure Virus, the virus replicates in your body. The reason for the rather drastic symptoms is the fact that it is affecting physical and mental changes in you.

"When the virus runs its course, you will be stronger, faster, more durable, you'll be able to hold your breath longer, hear, see, taste, smell and feel better… You'll be more intelligent, and you'll have minor regenerative capabilities. You won't be able to grow back limbs. But if you hold a severed limb to the stump, it will reattach over the course of maybe three to five minutes. You'll live approximately three times as long as a normal human.

"As you can see, the main reason that the virus doesn't simply ravage your body and leave you a desiccated husk is because the regenerative factor sets in quickly, mitigating the symptoms. Within two days, as I said, you'll be fine."

"Shinwoo… This sounds suspiciously similar to the Blacklight Virus that you were infected with." Ikhan said, raising an eyebrow.

"It is directly related. I took Blacklight cells, and I genetically modified them to take a less severe toll on the body, then tested it on animals. It took approximately twenty mutations to get it perfect. But I managed, with a few unexpected side effects, which, as I said, included minor special abilities which could range from telepathic abilities, to minor telekinesis, no more than the ability to lift twenty pounds of material, to physical or mental abilities beyond the norm for the virus.

"So basically, the side effects account for human uniqueness and eccentricity, which is nothing new. I won't force any of you to accept it. I won't lie. It's very unpleasant for the two days you're sick."

"I will accept it." Ikhan said. Yuna and Suyi nodded along with him. Tao raised his hand.

"There's no need to raise your hand. This isn't high school science class." Shinwoo said jokingly. Tao nodded. "Does the virus affect modified humans as it affects normal humans?"

"Hm… Well… I don't know. I'm… Embarrassed to say that I haven't tested it on Nobles, Modified Humans, or Werewolves. The highest order of animal I've tested it on are lab made primates. I managed to synthesize a number of primates that I could test the virus on. I then reabsorbed them, after satisfactorily studying the effects of the Cure Virus."

"Could you… Test it on me, then? No time like the present, right?" Tao asked. Shinwoo nodded. The other modified humans stepped forward as well, even M-21, who was all but a Werewolf. Shinwoo took out three vials, and then generated syringes with biomass, drawing the Cure Virus into the syringe, and having everyone line up.

The redhead followed medical procedure, putting on gloves, swabbing the arm with alcohol, and injecting them, reabsorbing the needle, and then following the same procedure with the next person. Ikhan, Suyi, Yuna, M-21, Tao, Takeo, and Yuizi came through the line. Shinwoo sighed. He wished that he had a larger test body. After all, the more people on whom he tested it, the more accurate the results. He had three humans, and four modified humans now in the group.

But the humans, his friends, would be leaving soon, and he wouldn't really have time to properly study the effects. He would have to satisfy himself with the time that he did have.

"Okay! Well, tomorrow, you'll all be feeling like shit! So let's enjoy tonight!" Shinwoo said with a laugh. The rest of the group rolled their eyes, though in a way, this would be an interesting start to the next chapter of their lives.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Shinwoo… I notice you've been calling Rai 'Noblesse' all evening." Ikhan said, raising an eyebrow. Shinwoo looked at him.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well… You never have before. You always called him 'Rai'. You're also calling Ras 'Lord'."

"Ah! That's what it is. Well, you see… I'm a Noble, now…" Shinwoo said, transforming into his Noble form, his eyes becoming crimson red and his body becoming more streamlined. Other than that, there was really no change. He still would have been recognizable as Shinwoo if the person was paying attention.

"But what was wrong with being human!" Ikhan protested. Shinwoo laughed.

"Nothing was wrong with it. But I thought I might try my hand at being a Noble. So far, the topic hasn't really come up. I'm still the same person. I'm just genetically a Noble."

"What… What exactly does that entail?" Suyi asked. "Like, do you have special powers, now?"

"Well… I would… Except I already have so many powers, including the powers of most of the Noble clans… Telekinesis, telepathy, hemokinesis, mind control via telepathy. I could engage an opponent either lethally or non-lethally, depending on the threat level and based on the crime they committed. I could simply use mind control to force them to leave, or atone for their crimes. Or, I could use telekinesis in any number of lethal or non-lethal ways.

"My only really new Noble power is a Soul Weapon, one I have called Prometheus. It's a non-standard Soul Weapon that has no set form. It can change forms as I need it to. Since I am primarily a melee combatant, I suspect that weapons like a sword, or tonfa, or even non-traditional weapons."

"A Soul Weapon? However did you manage to create one? Doesn't it usually require the soul of a Noble, or, in Frankenstein's case, the souls of millions of humans?" Regis asked, raising an eyebrow as well.

"Normally, yes. However, my ability to access bioenergy has allowed me to create a soul powerful enough, and solidify the soul into a viable weapon. Naturally, as the soul was a perfect copy of mine, it responded to my fighting style, which is why it has such a wide variety of forms. If it has a limit to the number of forms it can take, I haven't reached it."

"Color me impressed, Han Shinwoo." Regis said with a smirk, looking around and noticing that the others were beginning to look slightly pale. Their illnesses were beginning to set in. It had been three hours. It was probably enough time to begin to experience symptoms."

"You guys aren't looking well. Muzaka, if you would take the children home?" Frankenstein asked politely, still making it clear that it wasn't up for debate.

"Of course. Come on, kids. We don't want you to be emptying your stomachs on the way. Don't wait, I always say." The children nodded, getting their shoes on, and hurrying along with Muzaka, who didn't bother putting shoes on. Ikhan looked down. How often did a man look at someone's feet? But this was unusual.

"Hey, Muzaka… Why don't you wear shoes?" He asked. Muzaka laughed.

"Why would I need them? The soles of my feet are tougher than any human's. Even if they didn't have calluses from centuries upon centuries of fights, and running barefoot, they would heal as quickly as they could be cut. But…" he said, standing up on one foot, holding it up for Ikhan to see.

"So, the bottom of your foot can't be cut?" Suyi asked. Muzaka shook his head.

"Oh, it can. It would require intent to cut it, though. Watch." Muzaka said, taking a razor sharp knife, and cutting the bottom of his foot. It bled for about four seconds, then healed over, looking as though nothing had ever been there.

"See? No need for shoes. Besides, we're in a hurry."

"Shouldn't we be running, then?" Ikhan asked. Muzaka frowned, shaking his head.

"I don't think you fully appreciate how fast I can run. I can make attacks that break the sound barrier. If I were so inclined, I suspect I could run several hundred kilometers per hour… You Koreans… You go by kilometers now, right?"

"Yes. But we can understand miles if that were the system you preferred to use."

"Well… Maybe miles were what the world used to use, but… Back in my day, thousands of years ago, there were no miles or kilometers in what is now Germany. In fact, Werewolves lived apart from humans, so we didn't use human units of measurement. I have… Some concept of kilometers from Frankenstein. A kilometer is based on division of the planet into units of measurement, correct?"

"Yes. That's what the metric system is based on. Ah, here's my house. Thanks, Muzaka. I hope this virus doesn't make me too miserable to enjoy the Doctor Who marathon that's gonna be on all day tomorrow."

"See you later, Ikhan." Suyi said. Yuna waved as well as Ikhan went inside.

"Okay, whose house is the closest to here?"

"Mm… That would be mine." Yuna said, pointing toward where it was. Muzaka nodded, and they crossed the street. As they were crossing, though, a car turned. It was going far too fast, and nearly hit Yuna. Muzaka leapt in, thrusting his hand out, going partially into Werewolf form, stopping the car in its tracks, completely crushing the front of the car.

"Hey, asshole! Watch it!" The person yelled, jumping out of the car, waving his arms, gesticulating rudely at the women.

"My apologies, sir. I suppose I should have been looking more closely before we crossed the street." Muzaka said, trying to compromise with the man. "Of course, I'll pay for the repairs to your car. This is my address. My name is Muzaka. Just send me the bill.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I yelled at you, too… Um… Listen…"

"Whoa… Have you been drinking? You…"

"Listen, young man… How did you manage to stop my car like that?"

"Well… Um… My high school chemistry is a little bit rusty, but something about dopamine and endorphins making me stronger than humanly possible."

"Yeah… Alcohol tends to have similar effects, young man, 'cept you don't actually get stronger. You only think you are. Don't ever touch the stuff. Listen, I won't send you the bill if you won't tell anyone about this accident. I think I'll walk home." The man said. It was obvious that he was more than a little bit drunk.

"What!?" Suyi demanded angrily. Muzaka nodded, though, holding his hand out.

"It's a deal. I don't need this kind of attention, Miss Suyi. Let's get you home. You're both alright?" He asked. Suyi and Yuna nodded. As they were walking, Yuna seemed like she wanted to ask something.

"Is it true that Linus has your heart, Muzaka? I heard that the Union experimented extensively on you, removing organs to see if you would regenerate. Is that true?"

"It's quite possible. If so, I would want him to know that I hold no grudge against him for it. It wasn't his fault that the Union's greed led them to modify him. As I understand, he's holding out quite well. The modification has almost completely synchronized with his body. I'm happy about that. Not many men could successfully synchronize like that. Why do you ask?"

"I… I wondered if there was any way that you could make me a Werewolf. Is… Is that true, about a Werewolf's bite?"

Muzaka stared blankly at Yuna.

"What about a Werewolf's bite? I've never heard that anything happened when I bit someone, except that they usually die.

"A Werewolf warrior has very powerful jaw strength. Frankenstein measured my bite strength in Werewolf mode, and it exceeded 150,000 psi, though I forget what psi stands for."

"Pounds per square inch…" Yuna said. "Probably… My apartment is coming up over here. Thanks so much for walking us home, Muzaka." She said, smiling and walking into the building, leaving only Suyi and Muzaka. Muzaka looked at Suyi.

"Okay, so, where are we going for you?"

"Don't worry about me. I live all the way across town. I can take a cab."

"Are you kidding? Frankenstein would never forgive me if I left you alone on the street at night. Hop on. I can get you home in no time." Muzaka said, grabbing Suyi off her feet, and running full speed, jumping up onto the roofs and hurrying across town toward where Suyi had indicated her home was.

About five minutes later, they were standing in front of a fairly posh apartment, and Suyi smiled politely, thanking Muzaka for taking her home. She had to admit that she was slightly shaken from the breakneck speed at which they were travelling. They had been going faster than any car she had ever been in. It had driven the air right from her lungs. She dismounted, gasping for breath.

"Are you alright, Miss Suyi?" Muzaka asked. Suyi finally caught her breath, and nodded.

"Yes. I'm alright. Just… stunned, slightly. Maybe next time… You could run a bit slower?"

"Sure… In the event that I ever carry you about on my back again, I'll run slower." Muzaka joked. Suyi laughed as well, bidding Muzaka farewell, and heading into her apartment. She would only actually be staying in Korea for a few more days. Hopefully her illness subsided before then.

"She would have to consult with Shinwoo about the full extent of her soon to be abilities, when she stopped feeling like she was about to vomit, that was. She ran upstairs, heading straight to the bathroom, slamming the door and heading to the toilet. Finally, after kneeling there for a while, heaving, she went to bed, deciding that she had better rest up for a rough next day.

"Master, what is your opinion on Shinwoo's experiments into forcing human evolution? Nobles have always disdained human modification, but also ironically given it tacit approval by not interfering. So, Shinwoo's ability to force such drastic changes in humans is probably… Shocking to say the least."

"Not at all. Shinwoo merely followed his will in doing what he believed was best.

"He is not killing anyone, and he is not doing unnecessary harm in achieving his goals. So I see no reason to object to his desires. I have never objected to humans accepting modification, as long as it was of their own free will. There is no reason that humans should not desire to advance themselves. Although some use that power for evil ends, like the Union, some simply wish to protect that which they hold dear, like the KSA."

"Do you know when the wedding is going to be, Master?"

"I have not made extensive plans for it yet. I am not familiar with the human ceremony of marriage. As you know, Nobles do not typically celebrate their bonding in the same way. Our race is going through great changes, Frankenstein." Raizel said, looking slightly wistful.

"A Noble Clan Leader is marrying a human. Nobles, including myself, have accepted extensive modification. Those who were once Clan Leaders and some of my most loyal followers, have broken away from Lukedonia, and joined the human Union. Time in the human world moves so fast, and I am fearful that in another ten years, I will not even recognize the world as I have only just begun to recognize it now. What is your opinion, Frankenstein?

"Should I retreat back to Lukedonia, and live comfortably in the slow paced world if the Nobles? Or should I grow used to humanity as it has become?"

"I… Could not give my opinion, Master. It must be your decision."

"And… Your opinion on Han Shinwoo's decision?"

"I believe that only time will tell if his decision was the right one. Time told that my research in the name of the Union went into dangerous hands, and became dangerous weapons that they used against the very ones that they claimed to protect. But Han Shinwoo… He has decided to give this gift to all of humanity, an unbiased decision that will change the world as we see it. It will change all of science, and will take years to fully understand the causes, if ever they understand it.

"That said, humans will always be as humans always have been. Some will use their new powers for good. Some for evil. But at least humans will stand a better chance against the predators of the world, like the Union, though, unlike the Union agents, they'll actually have to work to earn it."

"Yes… They have long worked to earn this benediction. Humans have gods that they follow, correct?"

"Yes, Master…"

"Do you think that they will believe that their deity, or deities have lowered this benediction upon them?"

"I… Couldn't say. Humans are, by and large, an irrational people. I'm sure that they will scramble to find an answer for their sudden power, whether it is divine grace for those who believe, and some bizarre side effect of medication, or perhaps the effect of food additives for those who do not.

"I could not say. Regardless of how they seek the answer, they will find it, whether it is true or not. Either way, the conspiracy theorists will inevitably be the closest to the truth."

"Conspiracy theorists?" Raizel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There are people in this world who, regardless of the evidence, will search for some sort of shady deal or organization that has caused something. For the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in America, many believe that America's own government organized the attacks. Many believe that fluorinated water is used to control the minds of the masses, and that secret groups like the Illuminati, the Freemasons, and Skull and Crossbones secretly control the governments of the world.

"All three of those organizations exist. However, through private research, I have discovered that in reality, they are just extensions of, and scapegoats for, the Union. The Union started these conspiracy theories to distract the public from the fact that in truth, there is a single organization that controls most of the world. If most humans knew that, they would panic. Thus, in pre-emptive strategy, the Union released the conspiracy theories about various organizations to deflect suspicion."

"And… Nobody takes these people seriously?"

"Yes… They are the kooks and lunatics of the world.

"Humans never cease to amaze me with their innovative ways of dividing themselves." Raizel said, shaking his head silently.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Hey, Ikhan, Yuna, Suyi… Sorry to call you when you're probably feeling so bad."

Ikhan coughed, making sure it was away from the phone.

"Oh, it's alright. It's actually a welcome distraction."

"Yeah…" Yuna sniffled.

"Maybe you could tell us a little bit more about what we're actually getting out of this misery, Shinwoo…" Suyi said sternly, setting the phone down, and running to the bathroom to throw up before going back to her living room and getting back on the phone.

"Sorry… Emergency."

"I understand. Well, my absolute knowledge of the Cure Virus 2.0's effect on human subjects is limited at best, as I haven't tested it on any humans outside of a laboratory environment. I created subjects that were anatomically human in a sterile environment, and measured the effects of the virus on the ten males and ten females over a week long period. But, lab testing, especially over such a short period can only produce so much information."

"Well… What data, limited though it may be, do you have on it?" Ikhan asked. Shinwoo took a deep breath.

"Well… The worst of the illness is probably behind you. You were injected with the virus at approximately 2100h last night. The effects began to show themselves between 2130h and 2200h. It is now 1500h the next day.

"I suspect that by 2200h tonight to 0000h tomorrow morning, the symptoms will truly begin to subside, as they did with the anatomically human subjects in my lab experiments. After that, your fever will begin to go down. You won't be nauseous anymore, and I strongly suggest you take the opportunity to drink something with sugar in it. Juice, a fruit smoothie, I don't care. Right now, water is probably about all you can stomach, maybe juice if you're lucky.

"By 0600h tomorrow morning, you should be feeling much better. Try lifting something that would normally be too heavy for you to lift. Don't push yourself too hard, or you're liable to hurt yourself. Go jogging, do something to test your new abilities, but make sure you're cautious, or you'll overexert yourself.

"I doubt that your enhanced strength will be more than enough to break a brick at first. If you work out, and increase your strength, you might be able to break a brick wall at most. Your intelligence will probably be enhanced either to nearing human limits or just beyond normal human limits. Ikhan's IQ is already very high, I estimate it around 150-160… Am I close, Ikhan? I don't want to undersell you."

"Yeah. Last time I took an IQ test, I rated 162. Why?"

"Well… That's already Einstein level. The difference in your intelligence is liable to be less dramatic than those of lower intelligence… No offense, ladies. I suspect that any of your IQs won't go much higher than 200, maybe a little higher. The problem is that IQs that high are difficult to measure with modern tests.

"Your endurance will increase. You might be able to run a mile without stopping. If you continue to train consistently, naturally, you'll be able to run faster and father. You'll be able to run faster, maybe as fast as a bicycle at first. Your senses will become stronger. I can't put an exact number on it. But consider a dog's sense of hearing and smell… You'll want to limit the amount of sensory input you're getting for a while, or else you'll be overwhelmed.

"The one 'downside', and I put that in quotations, is that your reproductive systems have been affected as well. You're approximately only half as likely to impregnate or get pregnant. This is because that was the main effect of the Cure Virus 1.0 or the First Generation. However, in return, you will have an enhanced healing factor. It likely won't be enough to regrow limbs. However, cuts you get will heal in hours rather than days. Broken bones will heal within a week at most.

"Grievous or deadly injuries will still require hospitalization, but will heal in weeks rather than months. Brain injuries are a bit of a mystery, as I didn't deliberately do brain damage to my subjects, and I did not have enough time to test severe or life-threatening injuries. I cut them, and they healed in days. But no more progress than that, sadly.

"However, I think that my hypothesis is correct… Hopefully, you'll never need to find out. Of the twenty test subjects, two developed a unique ability. One developed a minor empathic ability over the period of three days. I don't doubt that he could have developed it further if he had the time. The other gained the ability to see auras via an advanced form of synesthesia. Unfortunately, her senses were on constant overload. Had she more time to improve her ability, she likely would have gotten it under control."

"So… What are the odds of any of us getting unique abilities. Because those seem way more interesting than any of the other powers you've mentioned."

"About ten percent, based on the research I've done in a lab. Although, given that they were created specifically for the experiment, they are human in anatomy only. They have no real qualifications for being human. I suspect that the odds of getting unique abilities may be higher in the general population."

"I see. Isn't creating these humans only to be experimented on a little bit unethical?"

"Yes. Highly unethical. But, I didn't want to deal with the potential social, political and personal ramifications that might come of using normal people. I could have gathered the homeless together, and done the study on them. Paid them each 100,000 Won. The odds of them dying are next to nil, and they would have been improved by the experiment.

"However, homeless are often mentally ill, and could be very dangerous with such powers. I believe that this Cure may cure some mental illnesses, but there's no guarantee of it."

"I see. Well… Are you going to go on with this experiment after this? Offer it to the masses?"

"Yes. I plan to run a human test. I'm advertising in all local universities.

"A person must be at least eighteen to qualify for the test. Other than that, there are no qualifications. I would like it if there were an equal number of males and females, for the sake of accurate comparison. But it isn't necessary. Oh, and that brings me to the last improvement. The minor regenerative factor is liable to extend your lifespan. I suspect that you'll live between 2.5 and 4 times as long as a normal human… With a good diet, exercise, and whatnot."

"Incredible. So, we could theoretically live to be 400 years old?"

"Possibly longer. After all, the oldest human lived to be 130, and with your regenerative abilities, it's likely that 'normal human lifespan' could equal or exceed that. You might live to be as old as 550, perhaps longer. Again, nothing is absolute without time to test the limits of this treatment."

"Excuse me a moment, Shinwoo…" Yuna said, dropping the phone, and running to the bathroom. After five minutes or so, she came back, apologizing, and saying that she needed to go. The rest excused themselves shortly thereafter as well, saying that they would report their new abilities when they realized them.

"Just make sure that you're keeping them written down. Date the entries, and keep a running dialogue of your abilities. I want to keep tabs on improvements and side effects alike. There's no reason to believe that this slapdash evolutionary virus might not have side effects.

"Any new eccentricities, either in behavior, or physical abnormalities need to be reported. Try to keep the data organized and systematic. Make a template for the data, the order in which you'll report it, and so on. I don't mean to micromanage. But this is very important, not only for my data, but for you to realize the full potential of your abilities, and also to understand that realization."

"Yeah, yeah. We get it." Ikhan said, saying goodbye and hanging up. The rest hung up as well, leaving Shinwoo on his own for the moment.

Meanwhile, at Frankenstein's home, Tao, Takeo, Yuizi, and M-21 were feeling ill, but they weren't nearly as incapacitated as Shinwoo's other friends, given the fact that they already had extraordinary abilities. They had been given the day off by Frankenstein, who also wanted to monitor their condition. Frankenstein was paying careful attention to any changes in their auras as they tried to go about their days.

"Hey, Ras, Rai… You two going out?" Tao asked. Raizel nodded, putting on his shoes, and heading out the door with Raskreia, who seemed happy, though she wasn't smiling.

"We're headed out as well, guys. See y'all tonight…" Muzaka said, stepping into some shoes, and waiting while Garda did the same.

"Actually, I still owe Lunark that date…" Frankenstein said, to which Lunark started.

"W-what!? N-no, you don't owe me anything! You were nice enough to let me stay here. What more could I ask?"

"For my pleasure, then." Frankenstein said, putting on shoes as well. The genius scientist looked at everyone still in the house.

"Linus, Tao, Takeo, Yuizi… Please don't go out while we're gone. Keep monitoring your situations. I'm sure that Shinwoo would want you to keep notes on your situations as well. So check the laboratory."

"Of course." Yuizi said, raising an eyebrow, but heading down to the lab with the others to find leatherbound diaries with each of their names on it, and instructions written on a piece of paper on top of them in Frankenstein's cursive.

 _Hello,_

 _I'm glad you're here. I want you to begin keeping a diary, starting today. Report any symptoms. Take your temperature, assess any feelings of dizziness or nausea that you may have. Report in each day at the very least. While you are still feeling the illness aspect, report in frequently with any changes in your condition. Report when you go to bed, even, if you feel like being that meticulous. That much may not be necessary, but I will not say that you can't._

 _When your symptoms all subside, do a workout, testing your new abilities, both mental and physical. Test all aspects, and report your findings. For all of you, they may be less dramatic than those of the children, simply due to the fact that you were already remarkable beings to begin with, both physically and mentally. However, any improvements that you notice, remark upon._

 _Continue every day to do physical and mental exercises to train the new abilities to their fullest extent. Shinwoo has indicated that he is not familiar with the full extent of what your new abilities will be. Thus, you must report back to him so that he can gather the proper data. To wit, I also wish to see the extent of your new abilities._

 _Frankenstein_

"Hmm… These are very nice diaries. Leatherbound, thick, gilt leaf paper… Does Frankenstein always give his employees such nice things?" Yuizi asked. Tao laughed, but Takeo answered.

"When it's in his interest. He's been known to give us nice weapons. But it's rarely just out of the goodness of his heart." Takeo said. M-21 simply took the diary, thinking privately that Frankenstein didn't do anything out of the goodness of his heart except when it applied to Raizel.

They then noticed that the note kept going.

 _P.S. Thank Shinwoo when you get the chance for the diaries. He made them completely using biomass. I doubt it would have been difficult, but they are quite fancy, are they not?_

 _P.P.S. Each journal is keyed to your specific biosignature, and can only be opened and read by you or Han Shinwoo, well… Any biouser, really. But only you or Han Shinwoo should have any reason to open it._

The four sighed, and took a pen, and began jotting down remarks on their conditions, from slight dizziness to nausea and tiredness. They would likely get over the illness soon, due to their heightened immune system, and their regeneration. Their illness would likely not even last 24 hours. In fact, Yuizi was already feeling better, and she commented on this in her journal as well.

"So, where are we going, Muzaka?" Garda asked. Muzaka laughed.

"Well… I'm going to look at houses. I promised Frankenstein that I would move out as soon as I could. A Werewolf's word is his bond. I've saved up a good amount of money working for Frankenstein as a security guard. He pays very well."

"You're buying a house? Why are you taking me with you?" Garda asked naively. Muzaka laughed, kissing Garda gently.

"Well, because I would like it if you liked the house as well. We will both be living in it, I assume… Unless you don't want to?"

"What!? N-no! I-I do want to, but… I… I didn't realize you felt the same way…"

"Garda… We've been dating for… Four months? Five months? Now. I think it should be obvious that I do feel the same way."

"We've been dating six months, two weeks, and five… No, six days."

"Counting the minutes, huh?"

"Well… Um… Let's just look at the houses." Garda said, blushing deeply. Muzaka nodded. Shinwoo had offered to build a house for them with some biomass. It wouldn't take much, he said, with his level of control and power. He had developed a high level of power, and could make huge structures with minimal effort or biomass.

The only downside, he said, was that it would look odd to outsiders for there to be a very unique or large home built suddenly. Even if the person having it built was supposedly very wealthy, it still took time to put everything together.

"Perhaps we should take Shinwoo up on his offer." Muzaka said, stopping and thinking.

"What did Han Shinwoo offer?"

"He said he would build a house for us… Free of charge, no less… Naturally, we would have to pay for the property rights. But the home would be free, and with his ability, he could easily make it nearly completely self-sustaining.

"I suspect we'd still need to be connected to the water grid. But power, heat, air conditioning could all be taken care of."

"Hm… An interesting idea. Has he shown any aptitude at building a house?"

"I think that it would be about as difficult as putting together a three piece toy for him. He is one of the most powerful beings I've ever met."

"Hm… You may be right. And besides, if it doesn't work, he can just reabsorb it, and we can buy our own house."

"True. Hold on." Muzaka said, turning around and walking in the other direction. He had already looked at a few properties and found one that he liked.

It was a piece of property on a hill with a forest behind it. It was a huge piece of property. But he had saved enough that he could at least put a down payment on it. Garda also brought her card with her, so they could pay for it together if need be. Soon, they came to the government building, and went in, standing in line. It was a long line, and it went very slowly. By the time they got to the front, Garda was very frustrated, and Muzaka was practically pulling his hair out.

"How may I help you?" The woman behind the desk asked. Muzaka smiled.

"My partner and I would like to buy a piece of property."

"What is the location of the property, sir?" She asked in a bored voice that indicated that she couldn't care less about them or this job. Muzaka gave her the address, and she typed the address into her computer.

"Yes. The property is still available. You intend to have a house built on it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Mazeltov… You'll need to fill out these forms for zoning rights, take them to Kim Sujin. Make sure that both of your signatures are on them, and leave no spaces blank."

"Yes, ma'am." Garda said with a smile, ignoring the woman's blatant rudeness to the most powerful Werewolf in existence. Muzaka seemed not to care as much. He took the forms and clipboard, and the pen, and began to fill out the forms. Some of the information was lies.

He, with Frankenstein's help, had created a false identity, complete with paperwork to back it up to ease the transition into modern day Korea. Sometimes it took him a minute to remember a particular piece of information, but it eventually came to him. Finally, he and Garda signed the forms in all the right places, and took them to this Kim Sujin, waiting in line again, and finally handing them in, where Sujin typed in the information, and actually smiled at them, adjusting her glasses.

"Excellent. Here is the deed to your new property. Many happy years together." She said politely. Garda smiled and thanked her, leaving with Muzaka, and heading straight for Shinwoo's home. When they got there, they saw that Seira was with a student. Yun, as Seira called him, was practicing a piece on his guitar. Seira occasionally adjusted his fingers on the strings, and was playing along with him at points.

"Okay, you are getting better. You should be more than ready for your talent show. You have learned approximately 75% of the song. Once you learn the whole thing, you should run through it every night. Continue to try to learn more of the song every night. Since the chords are repetitive to a degree, it should not be hard to continue learning more. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Here's your money for the lesson."

"Thank you. Have a good day." Seira said, seeing Yun to the door.

"Hello, Muzaka, Garda. Shinwoo is not here. He is at his studio. I can give you the address if you like. I apologize for making you wait."

"Not a problem. I didn't realize you were teaching kids to play guitar."

"Not only guitar. I play many instruments. Guitar, ukulele, violin, viola, cello, piano, trombone, trumpet… I suppose I should say I can teach every instrument, including singing, which is what my next lesson is going to be. She is here, now. Pardon me." Seira said, going and opening the door.

"Good afternoon, Nanami. Please, come in. Shall we begin where we left off two days ago?"

"Yes, ma'am…" Nanami said quietly, barely audible. She seemed like a very shy girl. She was pretty, likely around thirteen years old, with long black hair, and bright green eyes.

"Um… M-ma'am… I-I hate to be rude, but… Wh-who are they?"  
"They are some friends of mine. They were about to leave." Seira said. Muzaka nodded, and headed out the door.

"My apologies." He said, closing the door behind him.

"We were working on learning the playbill from Carmen, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am." Nanami said quietly, taking a deep breath. She was already quite talented, and had an amazing voice. Even Seira was a little bit jealous of the natural talent that the girl had. She took a deep breath, and began singing. She had clearly already warmed up her voice by the time she got there.

Seira closed her eyes, and let her synesthesia alert her to any mistakes in the opera piece. As Seira could tell, there were very few, if any noticeable mistakes. After a few minutes, Nanami finished, and caught her breath after the long note she had hit before.

"Very good. I must confess, Nanami. I am not a professional voice coach. There is little that I can teach you." Seira said quietly. Nanami raised an eyebrow.

"I've heard you sing. You put even professional opera singers to shame with your voice."

"Thank you. You are very kind. Seira continued to have Nanami sing, occasionally cutting in with suggestions. When her lesson was over, Nanami thanked Seira, and paid her for her time, leaving with her mother.

"Hey, Muzaka, Garda… How's it going? Good to see you. Are you here to sign up for martial arts?"

"Sorry, no. We'd be liable to seriously hurt anyone we sparred with. No, I'm here to accept your offer to build us a house. Is that offer still on the table?"

"Of course. Do you have the property deed?" Shinwoo asked. Muzaka nodded.

"Let's see… I can't do it tonight. I have a meeting to go to… I'm introducing a new scientific invention.

"However, tomorrow is completely free for me. I can come to the property loaded to the gills with biomass for the project."

"Good. Do we owe you anything for it?"

"Of course not. It's free for me. It should be free for you as well. Besides, you're my friends."

"This is very kind of you. What is the scientific invention you're showing, by the way?"

"That's a secret. You'll probably see it on the news tomorrow."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Good evening, everyone. I would like to draw your attention to the man lying in the balcony seats with a high powered sniper rifle. Please, please. Don't be alarmed." Shinwoo said, holding his hands up to calm everyone. When they were settled down again, Shinwoo began to speak once more.

"He is only here for the demonstration I'm about to give. Do pardon me for removing my shirt. However, I'm certain that none of you will believe that this is real unless you see that there is nothing else protecting me. Now, do you see this jacket? It seems just like a winter jacket, perhaps made of wool or some other warm material." Shinwoo said, taking off his shirt to reveal a fairly emaciated body, the result apparently of skipping many meals. This was just his alias, Mathis Park, though.

"Ironically, it's quite cool to the touch, and adjusts itself to the weather. In the summer, it will keep the individual cool. In the winter, it will keep you quite warm, without encumbering you any further. Perhaps a few of you would try it on for me and ascertain this?" Shinwoo asked, handing it to a woman with thick glasses, who scowled, but put it on, surprised at how cool it was, despite its weight.

Shinwoo had changed into his scientific pseudonym, Mathis Park, the half-French, half-Korean scientist. In this alias, he had long black hair that seemed to have a mind of its own, and flew everywhere, and a thin face and dark green eyes that had dark circles under them from long nights spent in the laboratory.

His frame was skinny, and even gaunt from missing meals in the name of his science. He had a deep, gravelly voice, but a friendly smile that contrasted with his sharp eyes. His hair was beginning to gray, indicating that he was in his mid-thirties, and he had a long scar across his left eye that had left it blind, and thus, he wore an eye patch over that eye.

He then passed it to three more scientists, two men and one woman, who all agreed that it was not hot, even when they sat in it for a few minutes. Shinwoo then put it on, and stood on the stage, giving the signal. Takeo then fired the sniper rifle, hitting Shinwoo dead on, right on the heart. However, the bullet simply stopped immediately upon hitting the vest. Shinwoo then took the bullet, and showed it to the crowd, indicating that it was an armor piercing sniper round.

Although it hurt to get hit so hard, the bullet didn't pierce the coat, and Shinwoo took it and handed it to a woman, who inspected the bullet with amazement, seeing that it was an armor piercing round.

"Sir… Are you saying that this jacket will protect even from armor piercing rounds?"

"Yes, ma'am. Anything but a tank shell or a bomb. Though, I suspect that a railgun would destroy the jacket as well." Shinwoo said to uncomfortable laughter at the morbid joke from the audience.

"Is there a way that one could reach you to discuss buying some from you? We would like to buy one to run our own independent diagnosis on it." Came a voice from the audience. A man in a military uniform stood up, bowing politely.

"Captain Seong Yunshi, sir, Third Company, Korean Navy."

"Good evening, Captain. Of course, you can reach me by my business email mathispark ."

"What I would like to show you next is a fully functional tidal turbine. I've already discussed prices on it with several state and city governments. It includes no metal in it, and therefore, will not rust in the water, and has access to wi-fi so that it can send a signal in the event that the mechanisms malfunction. Of course, the loss of power would likely be enough to indicate that. I have brought a miniature model to show you its efficiency.

"This is a miniature tide pool that I created for this demonstration. At the bottom is the tidal turbine, and a building connected to it." Shinwoo said, flicking the switch. The scientists at the front of the room heard the tidal turbine begin to work, and saw the lights in the building flicker on, and then stay steady. This was truly an amazing man, they thought.

"Thank you. Please contact me at my email address if you have any further questions. Have a pleasant evening." Shinwoo said politely to applause from the crowd, all of whom seemed highly impressed by Shinwoo's display. He was considering displaying the next generation computer that night, but he decided to work on improving it a bit more. He wanted to give it a feature that allowed it to respond directly to the user's thought patterns.

He hadn't managed to create a version of the computer that could do that, but the computer weighed only 0.45 kilograms (about 1 lb). It could easily be lifted in one hand, and had a remote charger, which meant that it didn't require a cord to charge it. It only needed a remote plug about the size of an iPhone wall plug, and a USB plug about the size of a remote mouse plug.

Furthermore, it stopped sending electricity when the computer was at 100%, and started charging it again when it alerted the person to low charge at 20%. Shinwoo was sure that it was the most advanced computer on the market. It turned on almost instantaneously when turned on, and was all but immune to computer viruses, mainly because it was a unique computer, and didn't use parts from any other brand of computer, and so, it would be pointless to make a virus compatible with it.

Second, and most importantly, it was mainly made of biomass, which made it essentially immune to malware. He was proud of his inventions, and intended to improve upon the ones he had already made, and continue to make new ones. He was working on the plants he had grown, turning them into pill form so that he could begin to distribute them.

He knew that medicine for things like Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases already existed. But it was expensive, and people in such situations often didn't have much money. He had the opportunity to help, and he fully intended to do so. But now, he had to go home, and see Seira. He hadn't seen her all day, and he missed her already.

As he walked in the door, he smiled at Seira, seeing that she was with a student at the moment.

"Hello… Mathis…" Seira said with a smirk. Shinwoo gasped. He had forgotten to change back to Shinwoo. He ran into his room, and looked in the mirror, going by a photograph of himself, and turning back into Han Shinwoo.

"Miss Seira? Who was that? He's not your boyfriend… I've met your boyfriend, and he has red hair and blue eyes."

"He's related to Shinwoo… Now, let's finish your practice. Do some more scales. You want to be able to play the scales on the piano without looking." Seira said. Xinlin nodded, and positioned her fingers, looking away, and playing her scales.

When her lesson was over, Seira smiled, and said that time was up.

"Excuse me, Miss Seira… This is probably rude of me, but… How is it that you have so many instruments in your apartment? It is not a huge abode, yet you seem to have every type of instrument. I have seen you teaching violin, guitar, cello, viola, ukulele, and of course piano. But I've done the math, and I don't think there is enough room in your apartment for so many instruments."

"Cheung Xinlin … My apartment is larger than it seems. In addition, you have only ever seen the front room, so you wouldn't have an accurate impression of the whole apartment."

"That's true. Sorry. I did not mean to intrude."

"It is not a problem. Have a good evening. Hello, Mrs. Cheung."

"Good evening, Miss Seira." Mrs. Cheung said quietly.

"Is Xinlin gone?" Shinwoo asked. Seira nodded, getting started boiling some water. It was good that Shinwoo wasn't out in the common area when Mrs. Cheung came to pick Xinlin up. She tended not to approve of Shinwoo. Although he was a successful businessman, even at such a young age, she didn't approve of the two of them cohabiting before they were married.

She was a very traditional woman, raised in traditional Chinese values, and as such, Shinwoo, being such an informal person in the first place, and living with a woman despite the fact that they weren't married were two unacceptable things for her. She liked Seira, though, seeing her as a very proper young woman. Little did she know that Seira was likely more than four times older than her.

"Ah, good. That woman never liked me. I could never figure out why, but she seems to have a real problem with me."

"Well… It is unimportant. How did your science conference go?" Seira asked, pouring water in a teakettle, and taking out some loose tea leaves, and putting them in sachets, boiling the water rapidly using her telekinesis.

"It went well. Lots of scientists were there, and a few military agents. I was… A little distressed that the military was there. I never wanted my inventions to be used for hurting people. But, I did showcase a hyperdense bulletproof vest, so I guess it was inevitable. The police are one thing, but…"

"Perhaps you should look at it as the military trying to save lives? After all, bulletproof vests have no ability to take lives, only to save them. What else did you display?"

"I showed off my tidal turbine. I suspect that even a turbine as small as the one I displayed there could power the whole northern half of Seoul. The full sized turbine should easily power all of Seoul and still only be at about 50% capacity usage."

"That is impressive, Shinwoo. But if you don't want to sell to the military, why did you not just refuse to sell to them?"

"Well, I could have done that, but it would have made problems later on. So, do you have time to teach me to speak your language tonight, Seira?"

"Yes. Dinner is almost ready. I will go over some lessons with you tonight. You are learning much faster than I expected, and since neither of us need sleep, we can easily go late into the night if you like.

"Sounds good." Shinwoo said, helping Seira to set up the table and the tea cups, and then sitting down to drink the tea with her. Neither of them needed to eat, but they both enjoyed tea, especially since Seira was so skilled at making it. Her tea was rich and flavorful, and filled the entire house with an intoxicating aroma. Shinwoo had even experimented with making new types of tea leaves, mixing tea with mint and other spices as well as chocolate and various other plants to make interesting flavors.

Most of them turned out well, and those that didn't, he could just reabsorb, and not worry about them. He also used the members of Frankenstein's house to test the flavors of new herbs, teas, and other plants. Shinwoo smelled the tea, breathing in deeply. This was a new tea that he had just perfected the other day, and this was, if anything, a trial run for it. It smelled good. So Shinwoo blew on it, and took a sip.

Most of the tea that he made went to Rai, who loved tea, and even Frankenstein had indicated that he was impressed with the quality of Shinwoo's tea leaves, and with the taste. Seira spoke various sentences in the Noble Language, and Shinwoo had to translate it, then answer. For three weeks, he had been working on the basics, nouns, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, sentence structure, etcetera.

The sentence structure was very different. Verb-Object-Subject. So instead of saying "she loves him", they would say "Loves him she". The sentence structure was like the ancient Mayan languages. However, their accent was much more similar to a mix between an Irish and Welsh accent. He was quickly acquiring the accent as well. It was a beautiful accent, in his opinion, able to set even the most stressed, tensest person at perfect ease.

"Okay… So, I designed a potential idea for how your house could look. But, I would like to get your opinion on it." Shinwoo said, taking out a roll of paper, and putting it down on a portable desk, putting rocks on the side, and showing Garda and Muzaka the three level house that he intended to build for them. The two Werewolves looked over the home. It was… Huge, to say the least. They didn't need even close to that big a house. Shinwoo was thinking of grandiosity befitting a human lord or king.

Muzaka wasn't terribly interesting in something so grandiose, especially since its three stories were above ground, and it had two stories that went underground.

"Han Shinwoo… Were you really thinking that we needed this much space? What on earth could we possibly need this big a house for? Especially when it's just the two of us." Garda asked, laughing. Shinwoo blushed slightly.

"Was I wrong in believing that Werewolves tend to have more children than humans? Wolves tend to give birth in litters of 4-6 pups. Do Werewolves not do the same?"

"No, you… Are right in that regard. However… We… Give birth less frequently. If we really gave birth as frequently and to as many as you seem to give us credit for, we would quickly overrun the human race.

"I cannot speak for the size of the Clan today, but 820 years ago, there were fewer Werewolves even than there were Nobles. We were a proud race, and tended to only breed with other Werewolves. I… Was an exception. I made a child with a human woman, and a half-Werewolf child was the result.

"Werewolves mates tend to only have one litter of pups in a lifetime, though… Naturally, there are some exceptions. Take for instance the Werewolf Lord. He or she can often expect to take more than one mate if they desire, and can produce young with each mate. It is arguably the same in a wolf den. As it is, Garda and I are unprepared, as yet, to have children. And the odds of us having enough children to warrant this much room in the house is slim to none."

"Okay. Well, that's what these consultations are for…" Shinwoo said dramatically with a laugh, taking out more paper, and drawing up a home that was still large, but wasn't quite the mansion that he had designed before. When he was finished, Muzaka and Garda looked over it again. Muzaka and Garda laughed along with him, finding his laughter to be infectious.

Two floors, a large common area, a decent sized kitchen for when they needed it, although given the woods behind the house, they would likely be hunting for their food. There was a strongly built dojo underground that didn't look like it would break even in the face of Muzaka's power.

"Now, the dojo is specially made. The material I'm using to make it, well… Biomass, naturally, but it will be approximately as dense as the inner core of the earth, but will have soft material on the inside to absorb noise and impact."

"Do we really need a dojo, Shinwoo? We'd mostly be fighting outside. We can see perfectly even in the dark, and we don't really get too cold, even in the middle of winter."

"See? It's good we're talking about this." Shinwoo said with a laugh, removing the bottom floor and redrawing it as a basement."

"Every home needs a basement. It sets up the base for the house and stabilizes it." Shinwoo said.

"Now, where exactly do you want the house? I can dig more than one hole, but I don't want to have to. It detracts from the beauty of the property. Now, you have the zoning permit and the deed to the property?"

"Yes, and we can dig the hole. You're doing so much for us, Shinwoo." Garda said, smiling politely, and looking around for a shovel."

"No, ma'am. I wouldn't dream of it. There are no shovels, and besides, it will be much faster if I do it alone. Now, where do you want the hole?" He asked again. The two Werewolves thought for a moment, and finally, Muzaka pointed to the center of a ridged hill. He was thinking of how to make it defensible."

"Muzaka, that's… A good place to put it, as good as any, I suppose, but… In modern day Korea, there's little need to make it so tactically defensible. Just pick a nice place, maybe one where you can get a nice view."

"You're right, Shinwoo… Hmm… What do you think, Garda?"

"It doesn't really matter to me where we put it. If you want an earthen wall around our home, then, I suppose that's fine with me. We've got the earth on one side, and the forest on the other that way."

"What do you _really_ want, Garda? Come on. Don't hesitate."

"Well… How about at the top of the hill? It's still defensible, though, naturally to a lesser extent, and we get a great view." Garda said. Muzaka nodded.

"That sounds fine. Shinwoo?"

"One hole coming up." Shinwoo said, leaping in the air, and doing a wide, sweeping motion with his arms, gouging out a huge hole in the ground. Shinwoo went up to the hole, looking down at it analytically, cocking his head to the left, then the right, moving his hands around, then finally nodding with a satisfied smile.

In the next minute, he began to build the house, touching the ground inside the hole, and watching as a large room sprang out from his hand, quickly surrounding him. Inside, he built stairs up to the next level, and then went up the stairs, beginning to build the next level, walking around and building each of the different rooms, setting up the wires and lights. Shinwoo had learned a short while ago that there was almost nothing that he couldn't do with biomass.

One thing he couldn't do was build light bulbs. He could have made bioluminescent bulbs, but they would have always been on, and they wouldn't have provided enough light. They would have to go to the store, and buy light bulbs. However, he could, and would build furniture for them. He just had to find out what kind of furniture they wanted.

Finally, he went to the second floor, and did the same thing, building rooms and setting up the wiring, connecting it to the roof, where he was putting up solar panels. Furthermore, he was setting up a small geokinetic turbine to gather energy from the earth's own rotation underneath the house. That way, even during the rainy season, there would never be a shortage of energy.

Shinwoo then set up the well, going deep down into the earth to a huge oasis, where he sent a biomass pipe, which would connect to the house itself. When he was finally done, Shinwoo came out, and brought Muzaka and Garda in, where he talked to them about where they wanted the furniture, and what they wanted it to look like. Finally, they decided on a modern look.

Shinwoo set up the couch and chairs in the common room with a leather surface, then went to the bedrooms that Muzaka and Garda designated, and set up beds, and bureaus, and everything else. When he was finished, he went outside, and admired his work. He had done a good job, even for his first time. The two Werewolves came out, and looked over the house admiringly.

He had made the outer walls ten times denser and fifty times stronger than steel, and the windows, despite being clear, were ten times stronger than steel. Despite this, the house wouldn't bake in the summer, allowing for excellent ventilation when needed. In fact, the house was covered with sensors that would adapt to the weather.

In the hot summers, it would become airier, and allow for nice breezes to come through, even when the windows were all closed, and in the winters, it would tighten up, and keep them relatively warm, even without the heat being on, although there were heaters in the house, mainly to heat the water, but also for the benefit of sending hot air through the house.

"Shinwoo… This… This is… An amazing house. Are you sure we can't pay you anything for it? All this work, I don't feel right getting it for free." Garda insisted.

"Well, if you insist, I'll only take 1,100 Won. Not a Won more."

"1,100 Won? That's only like 1 American Dollar." Muzaka said incredulously, having been thinking the same thing as Garda.

"Exactly." Shinwoo said with a laugh. The two Werewolves looked at each other.

"You might as well be giving it to us for free, then!"

"If that's what you want." Shinwoo said, shrugging. The two shrugged, and Garda took out 1,100 Won, and handed it to Shinwoo, who laughed, and handed it back to her.

"I was joking. You seemed so serious about this. Seriously. We're friends. I don't take money from my friends. Besides, it was a one hour job at most, and it was free for me. Oh! You'll still need to buy light bulbs. I can't make those with biomass.

"Well… I could. I could make bioluminescent bulbs that would lend a bit of light to the house at night. However, it wouldn't really be enough light to see well by."

"Shinwoo… We can see in perfect blackness, and by the light of the moon. In perfect blackness, we see in black and white.

"But by the light of the moon, we can still see in more colors and with greater acuity than any human. Do what you want to do. The amount of light is irrelevant. Just as long as we can turn them off when we need to." Muzaka said. Shinwoo nodded.

"You know, I bet I could make bioluminescent light bulbs that are as bright as regular ones." Shinwoo said, teleporting back into the house, and touching the ceiling, breathing in, and feeling the entire house, then breathing out, and creating bioluminescent bulbs in all of the sockets, setting them to be activated by electricity. Then, when they turned the lights out, the bulbs would die out over a period of maybe five seconds at most.

He came back out, giving a thumbs up, having tested the bulbs himself, and finding that they worked perfectly.

"Now, the mechanisms inside the house, including the solar panels and the geokinetic turbine are self-repairing to some extent.

"However, if you ever have any issues with either of them, you'll get an email report about it, and you just need to call me. Oh, right… Do you guys have email addresses?"

"Yes." Muzaka said.

"No." Garda replied at the same time.

"Ah, well… If one of you has email, that's fine. Do you have a computer?"

"No…" They both said at the same time. Shinwoo nodded, and took one out of his bag.

"I… Thought that might be the case. Here. It's the newest model of my laptop. It weighs about 0.45 kilograms, and plugs into the wall remotely.

"Take this. It's the charge remote. It plugs into the wall, and can connect to the computer from as far as 500 meters away. It's best if you keep it plugged into the same room as the computer is in. It has a keyboard, and will respond to a mouse, which automatically connects to it. Here's the mouse, by the way. It's biomechanical, so it's all but immune to malware.

"You'll need to get a printer if you want to print documents. But, it should connect to any printer in the house, and I can help set it up if you need me to.

"Shinwoo, we can't…"

"No, no. I insist. I need someone to test it. I've done a few preliminary tests on it. But I'd like it if more people had one to give me feedback.

"So far, Tao, Principal Lee, Ras, Ikhan, and Takeo have one. But the more people who are in the trial run, the better. With more people comes more and more accurate data for me to work with. That way, if there's an issue with any of the computers, I'll know. I'm making more to give to my other friends. That way, it won't be just computer geniuses who are testing it. I need average people to test run it as well. Please, I have one for both of you, if you like."

"You need us to test it for you?" Muzaka asked. Shinwoo nodded. It wasn't far from the truth.

"Well… Okay, then…" Garda said, taking the computer and thanking him for it. She had never used a computer before. She looked at the keyboard. It was all in Korean. She didn't understand the first thing about using such a keyboard, though Muzaka seemed to have a good idea of what he was doing.

"Um… I-I hate to sound ungrateful, Shinwoo, but… I can't read the keyboard. I'm only nominally proficient with Korean. I can speak it relatively well, but I'm barely beyond illiterate at reading and writing it."

"Ah! Of course. Well, give me back that computer for a moment?" Shinwoo said, taking the computer, and breathing deeply, then breathing out. Looking at it, he handed it to her.

"Does the Latin alphabet suit you better? You can read and write in English, right?"

"Yes. Better than I can in Korean. I-I'm sure that Muzaka can help me with that."

"Nonsense. I can help. Hold on a minute, Garda." Shinwoo said, walking up to her, and touching her forehead with his fingers, and imbuing her with knowledge of not only Korean, but modern English as well. She should have now been fluent in both languages."

"Is that better? You really should get used to speaking, reading, and writing in Korean." Shinwoo said, taking the computer and changing it back to Korean. Garda smiled gratefully.

"Thank you. You know, I'm really fortunate to have good friends like you, and your friends. When I woke up, I didn't even know what a cell phone was. I thought it was some sort of dark sorcery or something. You guys really were the best thing for me."

"No problem at all. Hey, by the way, are you two planning on continuing to work at Principal Lee's school?" Shinwoo asked. Muzaka nodded.

"Yes. We cannot simply give up our jobs so easily. Besides, it's nice to work like normal people. It pays well, and… As powerful as we are, we still need to eat, and we still owe money on the property. There are taxes to pay on our land, and whatnot.

"As minimal as our taxes will be, mainly due to the fact that our home is self-sufficient, we still have to pay money every… Month, or year, or whatever."

"I understand. Well, I'll let you get settled. See you later." Shinwoo shouted, teleporting away. He had a few things to do that day. He intended to finish his pet project for the moment.

He had been creating nanomachines that responded to the body's own needs. So, they could immediately travel through the blood stream to an injury, and cause it to heal. The machines, in the end, would act like stem cells, and replicate muscle, tissue, nerves, and bone if necessary, and repair the wound fully.

It was a revolutionary medical breakthrough, and the lives that could be saved, and also improved with it would make it all worth it. Now, he just had to talk to Frankenstein about his opinion on Shinwoo's next big idea.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Hey, Frankenstein… Sorry to drop by unannounced." Shinwoo said politely, waiting by the door. Frankenstein went and opened it, standing back and letting Shinwoo in, where he saw Raizel and Raskreia sitting on couches, facing each other, staring silently at each other. It was always amazing to him that conversations between the two of them seemed to consist of…

"…"

"…"

"So…"

"…"

"…"

And Shinwoo felt safe in guessing that whether someone actually had a conversation with Raizel, they went away wondering what they actually spoke about. The two Nobles looked up at Shinwoo, acknowledging his presence, then going back to staring at each other silently, and occasionally drinking their tea.

"Is that my new flavor of tea I smell?" Shinwoo asked. Raskreia nodded.

"It is well made." She said quietly.

"Thank you, Lord. It was my pleasure."

"You… Had something you wanted to say, Shinwoo?" Frankenstein asked. Shinwoo laughed.

"Yes. I wanted to talk to you, Principal Lee."

"Please, Shinwoo. You can call me Frankenstein, now. You know my true identity, and you're not my student anymore. What did you want to talk about?"

"Could we… Go down into the lab to discuss it?"

"Of course. It's about one of your experiments, isn't it?"

"Yes." Shinwoo said, waiting until they closed the soundproof door of the lab, and sitting down.

"You already know about the second mutation of my Cure Virus. I have already infected an entire forest with it. I left a command in the biomass to reproduce at a rate approximately 100 times the rate at which the original mutation of the virus mutated inside the forest. So, by now, approximately a week after I infected the forest with it, there should be enough to infect a good portion of Asia and some of Europe.

"It will follow the same patterns as the original virus. It will infect people and large areas of vegetation so that it can continue to create more of itself. Only a few cells of the virus need to infect a single person to affect them. Therefore, it should only take approximately a month, maybe two months to infect the entire world. Then, not only will the next generation become superhuman, but so will the current generation. Unfortunately, there is a drawback.

"There is approximately a 50% chance that the virus's so-called side effect will stack with the original mutation's side effect. So, if man's original chance of becoming pregnant or impregnating was 20%, the original reduced it to 10%, and there is a good chance that this one will reduce it to 5%. I think I need say no more about it. A man as intelligent as yourself will naturally understand."

"I believe so. But what is it you are thinking will happen?"

"Well… As with last time, some pregnancies may spontaneously abort. It happens even in normal pregnancies. But this time, it will be caused by me. Arguably, it will be my fault, indirectly, of course. That said, the next generation will be drastically smaller.

"But, this generation will become much longer lived. My estimate is that a person evolved by this virus will be between three and four times longer lived. That could pose a problem. 7.5 billion people living four times longer than a modern human… It may not be a desirable outcome."

"I see your concerns. I'm glad you came to me before you unleashed it on the world like you did with the last virus. While it is true that cutting the world population in four, creating approximately 1.875 billion people instead of 7.5 billion could possibly be a desirable outcome, I don't think it is a good idea to do it.

"I would frankly just reduce the virus to its base biomass, of which there will be plenty, and absorb it. Besides, 1.875 billion might be too small a world population. That would be approximately the size of the world population somewhere between 1850 and 1900. However, 3.75 billion seems a good population size to reset ourselves to. It may be larger, and likely won't be smaller. Let the current population die out in its own time, and work on improving the next generation."

"Thank you, Frankenstein. I'm glad I was able to talk to you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go take care of a certain forest." Shinwoo said, leaving the room, and teleporting to the middle of the forest behind Muzaka's home, where there was a clearing that had a huge tree in the center, much larger than any of the other trees in the forest. Shinwoo had observed that tree on the microcosm and the macrocosm, and found that most of the trees in the forest were connected in some way to the central tree.

He had therefore used that tree to infect the entire forest with the Cure Virus 2.0, intending to either release it or reabsorb it. So he touched the tree, connecting his mind with the entire forest, and commanding the trees to break down the virus into base biomass. Shinwoo then guided the process, and felt as the trees followed his command.

He then absorbed the biomass, feeling huge stores of biomass, exceeding any amount he may have had in the past. It was overwhelming in a sense. But in another way, it was just indicative of his increase in power. He then remotely split the biomass between himself and his clones, all of which could probably use it.

He could use them to create the other type of nanomachine that he wanted to make. He wanted to create pollution filtering machines. Machines like that had been created before, but never on this scale. These machines analyzed the contents of the water that they were in, and sucked in pollution, similar to a vacuum, and then poured out fresh water. In a way, it was like a pool filter, except that it could filter approximately 1 million liters of water in one hour.

Its filter had to be replaced approximately every 100 million liters, depending on how heavy the pollution was. For instance, dimethyl mercury or lead would require more space than most common pesticides. It was generally safest to replace it every three to four days. However, it was far more common in places like China for there to be chemical pollution in water than elsewhere in the world. In fact, even nuclear waste could be filtered out of the water.

Shinwoo was planning a trip to China in the near future, where he was due to talk to some government officials on selling one of his pollution absorption towers, and he would mention the water pollution absorption units as well, knowing the pollution problem in China. In fact, his trip would be in a few days. He was due to travel to the capital city of China, Beijing, and talk to the president, Xi Jinping. He was due to travel there within the week. He was debating whether to take Seira or not.

He wanted to. He was told that he was more than welcome to bring a partner if he had one. Seira would be quite welcome on the trip. The idea of going to such a polluted country was disagreeable to him at best. But, it was a good way to spread word of his inventions. Especially one that could filter a billion cubic meters of pollution in an hour. It would be good to make it in an agreeable design, perhaps a statue of the current president. Flattery tended to work on people with that kind of ego.

"Seira… I have that trip to China in three days. I'm meeting with some high ranking officials in Beijing to discuss prices for some of my pollution filtering devices. I'd really welcome having a friend there with me. They don't want you in the negotiations… They… Made that quite clear. But they're putting me in a really nice hotel, and, well… It just wouldn't be the same without you."

"I will come. How long will we be away?" Seira asked. Shinwoo thought.

"No more than five days. Can you cancel on your students on such short notice?"

"Yes. I can send a group email. They won't be happy, but I am sure they will accept it." Seira said quietly. Shinwoo nodded, and hurried to his laboratory, where he took out what he had done on the water pollution filter. It needed to be able to move around in the water, essentially swim, and go underwater to collect pollution on the floor of whatever body of water it was in.

Soon, he finished, and he sighed with relief, taking it to the kitchen, where he teleported to the patent office, where he got on line, as he had done with multiple of his inventions before. Soon, he got to the front of the line, and began filling out the paperwork, handed it in, along with pictures of the water filter before leaving. He would likely get an answer within a day or two, just enough time for him to go to China.

"Thank you for coming with me, all the way here… You really don't mind being this far from home?"

"I do not mind. I have wanted to travel for a while, regardless. Perhaps we could travel what the humans call Europe as well?"

"Sure… Europe, the Americas, Asia, wherever you want to go. I think we'll need to wait until after the Lord's and Noblesse's wedding. It should be coming soon, right?"

"I am not sure. This city smells awful. Is that the air pollution you mentioned?"

"Probably. There's not much we can do about it right now. If we're lucky, the Chinese government will buy a bunch of my air pollution filters. We can set them up in parks, and mold them into shapes that are pleasing to them."

"That would be good. Now, is this where we are meeting them?"

"This is where I am meeting them. We have been to the hotel. I do apologize, but the Chinese, they said I could bring someone with me, but that they couldn't attend the meetings. Something about national financial security, though I fail to see how bringing you to a meeting about buying air pollution filters could jeopardize them. Regardless, I don't wish to anger them."

"I understand. I will explore Beijing."

"Oh, Seira… Take this with you…" Shinwoo said, touching her hand. Suddenly, a long piece of biomass appeared in it. It had two pin-like stingers on the end.

"It's what humans call a taser. It will electrocute someone if they attack you. Watch. You touch it to them, and press into them, preferably their neck. That will shock them, and incapacitate them so you can leave without doing serious harm.

"Don't worry. It isn't deadly. There's also this. Point it away from your face and hold it at arm's length, and spray the person in the face. It's essentially pepper spray. It's painful when applied to the eyes, but will not blind them unless you go overboard. A shot of about three seconds should be plenty."

"Thank you, Shinwoo. I will see you later at the hotel." Seira said, kissing him, and turning away. Shinwoo walked into the government building, and headed to the concierge desk, asking to speak with the minister of finances.

"Who may I ask is requesting him?" The concierge asked.

"Doctor Mathis Park. I have an appointment with him." Shinwoo said, having changed into his scientist alias just moments ago in the bathroom. The concierge nodded, and phoned the minister, who came down moments later, smiling politely at Shinwoo, and bowing.

"I understand that you are from Korea. Do you speak Chinese, Doctor?"

"Yes, Minister. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Excellent. Let us go to a private office." He said, leading Shinwoo to a well-furnished room, where he sat down across from the minister, and took out his briefcase, removing some papers from it and handing them to the Minister, who took the papers, and looked them over. They detailed the pollution filters, both the water filter and the air filter. The minister read them carefully, and nodded at times.

"I see… We are very interested in both of these inventions. They have been patented, I trust?"

"Yes, Minister. The water filter was patented just two days ago. I finished the work and hurried to get it set up."

"Very good. I respect your caution. One cannot be too careful with one's belongings. How much are you asking for these items?"

"Well, it largely depends on how many you wish to buy. The price for one air filter is 22,039,100 Won, or 133,531 Yuan, if you prefer. The water filter is 11,020,750 Won or 66,763.5 Chinese Yuan per unit."

"Why the drastic difference in price?" The minister asked, seeming suspicious.

"The main reason is that the air pollution filter can be as small as a fountain, or as large as the Egyptian obelisks, if you prefer, whereas the water filter, while it can move and swim, cannot change shape or size." Shinwoo responded. The minister seemed highly skeptical at this claim, so Shinwoo removed a small bauble from the briefcase, which he showed to the minister, indicating that it was the air pollution filter. The minister nodded.

Shinwoo then slowly molded it into a statue of the president of China in a handsome, gleaming black finish. He then molded it into a fountain with a statuesque panda standing on its hind legs on top. The minister was even more impressed by this. Shinwoo then molded it into a simple mailbox.

"This is highly impressive, Doctor Park. And you only wish 133,531 Yuan for it?" The minister asked, seeming surprised.

"Yes. I have my reasons. The money is nice, but improving the world for the next generation is better."

"I see… Your words and actions do you credit, Doctor. If I ordered 100 of each, how much would it cost?" The minister asked. Shinwoo thought, doing the math in his head for a moment.

"2.2 billion Won, or 13,323,770.3 Yuan, sir."

"You continue to impress me with your generosity. We will take 100 of each. How would you prefer to be paid? In Won or Yuan?"

"Either will work for me. I'm not picky. It will convert into my national currency, either way."

"Indeed. Then if you will give me the account number, we will wire you 2.2 billion Won within 3-5 business days."

"Excellent. Then, if I may, I will take my leave."

"Actually, I heard from a source that you have been creating numerous devices that can be used by the military. Is that true?"

"Yes. However, they are not for sale. I have not fully tested them, and there is a good chance that they will cost more lives than they save."

"I understand, Doctor Park. It has been a pleasure doing business. I hope that this is not the last time we do business."

"I hope the same, Minister. The two hundred filters will be given to you as soon as I receive the money transfer. I will remain in the country so that I can shape them in a manner that pleases you. Thank you for your time, Minister."

"Have a pleasant day. I hope you enjoy your time in Beijing. I suggest that you buy a face mask. It is expected that the pollution level will be very high in the near future."

"Thank you for your concern, Minister." Shinwoo said, bowing politely, and leaving, heading to the lobby, then outside so that he could explore Beijing. He would be alerted via email when the money was transferred in full.

Until then, he could spend time in a foreign country, picking up the culture. It would be a nice 3-5 days. Shinwoo first went to a cash machine, and took out some money, heading to a pharmacy and getting a box of face masks for Seira and himself.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Okay. The money has been wired to my account. I suppose that I can give him the 200 pollution filters, now." Shinwoo said quietly, looking at the screen of his cell phone, and smiling. Seira's eyes widened slightly.

"He asked for two hundred of them? How much did they spend on these?"

"2.2 billion Won. It was a very large transaction.

"I fully intend to move the money around to multiple accounts. That way, all my money will be insured."

Seira nodded, and looked at the apple sized pieces of biomass in a large plastic bag. There were approximately 200 of them.

Shinwoo built a large crate out of biomass, and molded 100 of them into the shape of his water filters, and kept the others shaped like apples, and touched the crate, teleporting himself and the entire crate to the government building, where he went in, and talked to the concierge again.

"Ah, Doctor Park. A pleasure to see you again. I see you took my advice on the masks. You seem to have brought the filters. May I see them?"

"Of course, Minister. This is the air filter. I know it seems a fair bit miniscule to absorb that much mass, but remember that it is very dense, and can change shape as I command it."

The minister laughed.

"I'm still getting used to that. It seems almost like magic."

"China has an enhanced human program in the military, correct?"

"I am… Not at liberty to discuss that, Doctor. But you make an excellent point. I apologize for my flippancy."

"Not at all, not at all. Let's go around China, and place the air and water pollution filters where you desire them." Shinwoo said. The minister nodded.

"I will call for a car. No use walking."

"Not necessary. We can teleport. Watch." Shinwoo said politely, teleporting from one side of the room to the other. The minister seemed duly amazed at this.

"I see. Is there any chance that you could sell some of those devices to the Chinese military? It would be highly useful to be able to teleport. There has been talk of… Insurrection amongst the more impoverished masses. They don't pose a threat to us, but it could be terrible for PR. Think of the June Rebellion in France. Although the people didn't stand a chance, it made the government look bad. So too would this insurrection. We would like to put it down before it begins."

"I appreciate your urgency. However, I will not sell such things to the military. I will not be involved in killing."

"I… Disagree with your choice, but I respect the firmness of your convictions. Let's go place the filters. They won't make unnecessary noise, will they?" The minister asked. Shinwoo shook his head.

"No. In fact, they're next to silent. They use a minor gravitational pull to attract the pollution. Pollution is heavier than air, and thus is 'sucked' in. The gravity field is not strong enough to affect humans adversely, but it will pull in polluted air because it is heavier than fresh air. There will be a little bit of a magnetic hum, but it would only be audible if the area surrounding it was completely silent. We're at the first place, correct? How did you want the filter shaped?"

"I think a statue of Chinese soldiers saluting the Chinese flag.

"Very well." Shinwoo said, forming the statue, and the flag, making it one of his best pieces of work. The rest of the day was spent going to two hundred different water sources, parks, and open spaces, and placing the filters. Although people looked at the two of them oddly, none of them dared speak out since one of them was the minister of finances.

At one point, though, a small girl with glasses came up to them, and began speaking to the minister, himself.

"Hello, Mister… Why are you playing with clay?"

"Hello, my dear…" The minister said, kneeling down to look at the girl in the eye.

"We're not playing with clay. This man is a renowned scientist. He's setting up air filters to make the air cleaner. China has a serious problem with dirty air. This filter will make it clean."

"Like a vacuum for the air?"

"Exactly, like a vacuum for the air." The minister said with a smile.

"Is it going to just be a tower? It doesn't look like it's going to be a tower." The girl said.

The minister nodded.

"It's going to be a statue of our brave men and women in the military."

"Okay! It's finished. What do you think, Miss…"

"Leng Yifei…"

"Okay, Miss Yifei… How do you like it?" Shinwoo asked cheerfully.

"I love it, sir."

"Excellent. Have a good day." The minister said, teleporting away with Shinwoo. After they were done setting the filters in place, they returned to the Minister's office, where Shinwoo spoke to him.

"Now, Minister… I'm impressed, of course, that you are taking these steps to improve your country. But… As it is, the factories and industrial buildings are producing more pollution than can be cleaned.

"You need to begin passing legislature that will force industries to use cleaner methods to produce their wares. Otherwise, you'll not even be making a major dent in the pollution. Take the Yangtze River. It's blood red, likely from the pollution dumped in it. Now, it's hardly my place to suggest legislation for China. But it's my belief that 240 billion meters cubed of pollution absorption won't be enough. I am working on more advanced pollution filters. But that won't solve the problem, only mitigate it."

"I understand your point, Doctor Park. I will bring it up to the President, and I am certain that he will take an interest in it as well. Is that your partner outside?" the Minister asked. Shinwoo looked over and saw Seira standing there patiently waiting for him. Shinwoo nodded.

"She's… My girlfriend. Thank you for your patronage, Minister. I look forward to doing business with you again in the future. If you'll pardon me, sir." Shinwoo said, bowing politely to the minister.

"Of course. I'm certain that we will have need of you again in the near future."

"Okay, Seira. You ready to go back to Korea? Actually, here… It's a pamphlet on how to care for the water filters. You need to clean or replace the filter approximately every three to four days. It's vital that you do this, or the filter will break down." Shinwoo said to the Minister.

Seira nodded to Shinwoo, and took Shinwoo's hand tightly. Shinwoo then teleported away, heading right back to his apartment, where he went up the stairs. Finally, they got to the apartment, and saw Raizel, Raskreia, and Frankenstein inside, having made themselves at home.

"Hello, Shinwoo… It's good that you finally got home. How did your business go in Japan?"

"How did you get in? The alarm is foolproof! Did I forget to arm it?"

"Of course not. Master has the same power as you. Your alarm is made with your own biomass, and reacts to your fingerprint and voice command, both of which Master can mimic perfectly." Frankenstein said, smiling cheerfully. Shinwoo was even angrier about this.

"So… You tricked my alarm!?"

"No. One of your clones was kind enough to disarm the alarm for us. He even got some fresh tea leaves and mint, and made tea for us."

"I see. What can I do for you, Noblesse, Lord?"

"We came to give you your invitation to our wedding. Do you still intend to play for us?"

"Of course." Shinwoo said, bowing politely to the two of them.

"Thank you for inviting us. We can also bring some of the other Shinwoos. They can play other instruments. Just a violin and a viola aren't enough. We need at least one more violin and a cello, and a viola, which Seira can play. Or we can make it a quintet, and add a second viola as well as a second violin."

"It is up to you to decide how to do it. I am certain that we will be satisfied with your playing."

"Are there any specific songs you want played?"

"This is a piece commonly played at Noble weddings. It is a piece called Vinculæ. It means…"

"Vinculæ, or Blood Bond… Approximately. It refers to the blood bond that Nobles who marry make with each other. I've never heard the music played before, but I hear it's quite beautiful when played properly. We will practice it to perfection.

"Let's see… The wedding is in six weeks. Hm… Short notice. But doable. Is that all, Noblesse, Lord?" Shinwoo asked. Raskreia stood, and nodded.

"Then we will take our leave." Frankenstein said. They needed to send out the other invitations, to the rest of the children. Hopefully, they would still be in town at the time.

Shinwoo immediately went to the other room, where the Shinwoo clones were working on producing weapons.

"Okay, I need… You… You… And… you…" He said, pointing to Shinwoos 5, 9, and 12.

He then brought them out to the kitchen, where he explained the situation, handing them beautiful instruments. To number 5, he handed another violin. To number 9, he gave a viola, and to number 12, he handed a cello.

"Okay, we have six weeks, but we need to be fully ready for this. We can't make a single mistake. So, we need to practice, practice, and practice some more."

"Right! We are Nobles, now, after all. We owe it to our Lord and Noblesse."

The Shinwoos that the original selected took their instruments and sat down, reviewing the music, seeming to memorize it immediately.

The members of the quintet passed it around, and looked at it, going over it a few times, before putting it down, and getting ready, rosining their bows, and beginning to play in almost perfect synchronization. There were a few instances when they weren't quite matching up, but it looked like it wouldn't take long to complete the practice.

"Ooh! Linus, I'm so excited… I always cry at weddings." Yuna said, hugging Linus tightly, and kissing him. Linus blushed slightly, seeming very pensive.

"I don't think I've ever been to a wedding… Not one that I remember, anyway. I'm not certain what to expect." He said quietly as the two of them sat down. He was a little bit excited himself, though. He had, in the past, dedicated himself to defending Raizel, back when he was running low on life energy.

Now, of course, it wasn't an issue. Raizel had more life energy than anyone Linus had ever met. As they spoke, the four Shinwoos and Seira were playing some beautiful classical music. He had heard them practicing the final piece, and it was a very powerful piece of music, bringing to mind an indelible bond, one that would last until the end of time.

Finally, everyone arrived. It was good, Yuna thought, that all of Raizel's friends could make it. School hadn't started yet, and they were still preparing, but naturally, they had made time for this. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, to see two powerful Nobles being married… Although, on second thought, Shinwoo and Seira very well might get married as well, and since Shinwoo was a Noble, now, they would watch the process again.

"We welcome all of you to this union between man and woman… Before we continue, does anyone here have any reason why these two should not be joined? Speak now, or forever hold your peace…" Came the authoritative voice of the one joining the two of them. His blood red eyes indicated that she was a Noble as well. It seemed as though they were mixing traditions between human and Noble.

"Then Cadis Etrama DiRaizel, the current Noblesse, do you swear by the blood in your veins that you will hold your partner, Erga Kenesis DiRaskreia, the Lord of the Nobles, in eternal regard, so long as you both are on this earth?"

"I do." Raizel said. The speaker moved on.

"And do you, Erga Kenesis DiRaskreia, Lord of the Nobles, swear by the blood in your veins that you will hold your partner, Cadis Etrama DiRaizel, the current Noblesse, in eternal regard, so long as you both are on this earth?" She asked. Raskreia smiled slightly.

"I do." She said in a whisper. She could barely believe that she was finally getting married.

"Then, may both of you bond yourselves by blood to the other, that your union may be ineradicable." The speaker said. Raizel took out a ritual dagger that looked to be very old, and sliced open his hand before handing it to Raskreia, who cut her hand as well.

The two then joined their lacerated hands, lacing fingers, holding them like that for about ten seconds, where their hands began to glow a bright red color, surrounding their entire bodies, shrouding the world around them in shadow before letting go, and looking at the speaker, who smiled.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." She said. Raizel removed the veil from Raskreia's face, kissing her gently on the lips, before pulling away and heading back down the aisle.

At this point, the quintet began playing the final song. It was a powerful piece of music that properly portrayed the strength of the Nobles, but also indicated the strength of the bond that Raizel and Raskreia had just made. When the song ended, everyone cleared out, and headed to the party that was taking place afterwards.

The party was incredible, hosted by Frankenstein in an incredibly elegant ballroom that must have cost a fortune to rent for the evening. Frankenstein had never seemed happier, though. Shinwoo went over, and put the wedding gift on the table. He had made a gift for Frankenstein as well, which he put in a package and attached to the gift for Raizel and Raskreia. It was a present secreted within a gem, created of bioenergy. As soon as Frankenstein touched the gem, he would receive the gift.

Raizel's gift was much simpler. He and Seira had worked together, and made a fantastic painting of the two of them, Raizel cloaked in in his nearly limitless aura as the Noblesse, a blood aura with waves that connected him and Raskreia, whose aura was just as immense and powerful as she drew her Soul Weapon, Ragnarok with a giant heart surrounded by a golden aura surrounding it above them, representing that between them, they were the heart of the Nobles. Both he and Seira were satisfied with the results of the painting. It was frankly a masterpiece, their best work.

There were many other gifts on the table, from the other Clan Leaders, and from Raizel's and Raskreia's human friends, from Frankenstein and from the RK and the Werewolves with whom they were friends. As the night wore on, it became clear that Frankenstein had really gone all out on this, and possibly even rented it out for a full 24 hours. Finally, though, people began to get tired, and Raizel and Raskreia stood and walked to the front.

In keeping with his normally reticent nature, Raizel stayed silent while Raskreia spoke for both of them.

"The Noblesse and I would like to thank you with all due sincerity for coming here tonight and drinking all of our… _Booze_? What on earth does booze mean? Alcohol? Why couldn't I just say alcohol, then?" Raskreia hissed irritably. Raizel seemed amused, and stood, actually speaking for once.

"We would like to thank you for coming here tonight, and drinking all of our booze…" He said, pausing for the laughter that ensued.

"No, but seriously, there's a thing… About being the Noblesse and… Even more so, being the Lord… That you're never short of a few freeloaders… Such as yourselves… To fill up your parties with… So thanks to… You people…"

"It was only Raskreia and the Nobles who didn't seem to get the joke. Everyone else was laughing at this, and Raskreia couldn't help but wonder. The Nobles, having been addressed by the Noblesse, couldn't speak out against his rather unkind address. But the children seemed highly amused, and even Muzaka, who seemed to have some idea of what he was talking about, was laughing under his breath.

"Hm… Who knew the Noblesse had such a sense of humor?" Shinwoo asked himself.

"Sense of humor? I hate to say it, but that was… Atrociously rude." Seira said quietly so that only Shinwoo could hear.

"No. It was a reference to a Batman movie."

"What is… A Batman?"

"A superhero."

"Yeah, Rai! That was hilarious!" Ikhan called loudly. Raizel blushed slightly, smiling, turning and sitting down as the party broke up. As the children walked out, Shinwoo sensed the presence of the First Elder. Though Tesamu was attempting to hide his aura, it was leaking out slightly, but Shinwoo sensed that was intentional to some degree.

He wanted to alert people like Shinwoo and Raizel to his presence so that they would meet him. Shinwoo excused himself, worried that if they didn't take care of this quickly, he might cause trouble. He couldn't allow any of his friends to be harmed. Certainly, they were much stronger than they had ever been before. But they didn't even come close to being a threat to Tesamu. He would go alone.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"Pardon me, Seira. There's… An old… friend of mine here. I'll be right back."

Seira nodded. She could tell that Shinwoo was lying, though the reason, and what the truth was, she didn't know, and she refused to pry into his memories to find out. That would be terribly disrespectful.

"What do you want!? How dare you crash my Lord's wedding!?" Shinwoo asked, truly incensed that Tesamu would dare be at the Lord's and Noblesse's wedding, much less the wedding of his friends.

" _Your_ Lord's wedding? Ah! Now I see… You made yourself both a Noble and a Werewolf… A truly accomplished Biouser. You impress me more and more every time I see you. I like to think that I had something to do with your apotheosis."

"Your only involvement was giving me the power in the first place… Beyond that, your involvement stopped…"

"Or did it? One cannot deny that I was the initial catalyst for your ascension to power. The Noblesse may have eventually given you power, or perhaps it would have been your girlfriend. Yes, I'm fully aware that Nobles can pass on some of their power to mortals in whom they've taken an interest.

"However, once I gave you said power, you utilized it to the best of your ability. You cultivated your power well, and acquitted yourself with great aplomb when next we met, and did battle. In Consuming my clone, you acquired many powers… Naturally, only the ones that I wanted you to have. But nonetheless, I was testing you. Had you not worked your hardest in enhancing your powers, you would have failed. Even I couldn't say for sure how it would end.

"I may well have defeated you. However, you persevered, and won the day. I did not see you again until fairly recently, as you well remember, at which point, I gave you Life Lordship. It's fair to say that even with your knowledge of human modification, much of what you got, you got because I allowed it. Did you really believe that you, or even Woo Ikhan could hack Union computers without someone realizing it?

"I didn't seek retribution against Woo Ikhan, as I knew that he was more use to me alive than dead, and normally, once the Union purges a location, they set off an EMP to wipe all electronics in the location, and in the immediate vicinity. The EMP, once I purged your father's home would have wiped every computer in the house, and every computer within three houses of it. It's… Heavier handed than I prefer, but it's effective in quashing information about the Union from escaping.

"I did not do that because I believed that you would need the data that your father had on human modifications and the science behind the powers that you now have. Did you think it coincidence that you gained all that information? Admittedly, I was not counting on you becoming the Professor's assistant. The knowledge you gained from him was your own, and I will not attempt to diminish your part in that by claiming credit.

"But every step you took toward ultimate power, we have been watching. I was most impressed when you defeated Zacharias, and Consumed him. You gained mastery of a form of martial arts that is nearly unrivaled in defeating many enemies at once. I suspect that you could make a fortune training militaries in its use. Train the Korean military in its use, and you would be set for life."

"I decline."

"Really? Come now, all men have desires, and one of those desires is almost uniformly monetary wealth and comfort. Surely, Miss Seira would not begrudge you training military forces in the use of martial arts that would enhance their ability to defend their countries."

"I decline. I have no interest in more money. I would gladly give away my inventions. I make more money than I can possibly use selling martial arts weapons and sundries."

"Ah, that's right… Your… Bokken sales website. Selling bokken, battle ready katanas and other bladed weapons, tonfa, and weapons at reasonable prices. I've actually been on that website, bought weapons from you.

"Did you not think it odd when someone asked for ten thousand suburitos that weighed 20 pounds each and ten thousand that weighed 40 pounds each? They were to train our agents. Even before they are modified, they need to be trained extensively to reach peak human condition before their modification procedures. That makes it much less likely that there will be complications. So, your 20 pound suburitos were put to excellent use. The 850,300,000 Won was well worth it.

"And also… Secure as your house is, do you really believe that the Union doesn't have ways of spying on you? We know every invention you've created, and every patent you've attained. Your greenhouse is most interesting to us. Toxins thousands of times more potent than the Blue Ringed Octopus. Most impressive. It will easily allow us to neutralize enemies."

"You bastard! You stole my plants!?"

"Hardly, Shinwoo. We simply took a few samples while you were away in China. You should of course realize that you need to get better safeguards for your greenhouse. Right now, our scientists are synthesizing the toxin that we gathered, and mass producing it for use in weaponry of all sorts."

"What? Why couldn't you just synthesize it on your own? Surely you have the power?" Shinwoo asked. Tesamu laughed.

"Of course I do. But, it was so much easier to just take it from you, than to spend the time experimenting on my own."

By now, Shinwoo was laughing, though.

"You see, I… Was afraid that someone might try to steal my work… So… Ahahaha…" Shinwoo laughed, looking at Tesamu with great smugness.

"So you see, I added a failsafe to my plants. Unless they are given the proper command word to deactivate, they will completely neutralize when taken more than 100 meters from the greenhouse.

"That extends to any toxin extracted from them. I suspect that your agents were much rougher than you would have wanted them to be in extracting the venom. I don't know how long ago you broke in exactly. But, by now, the venom would be completely inert, as harmless as water, though… I wouldn't advise drinking it. It's not water, and I haven't tested the inert poison on humans."

"I see… Well played. I like you even more, now. You truly don't let your guard down."

"No. I don't. And I might ask, how long ago did you take the poison?"

"How long ago was your trip to China?"

"Oh, well about six weeks ago. Why do you ask?"

"We broke in and took the venom about one day after your departure."

"I see. Your agents are probably already dead, and if they aren't, they're suffering immensely." Shinwoo said calmly. Tesamu's eyes widened slightly, but then he regained his composure, and smiled, the only evidence of his anger showing in his eyes.

"How do you mean, Han Shinwoo?"

"Well, the plant itself is a defense mechanism. As I mentioned before, there is a command word to make it deactivate. That was the plant's initial purpose in the greenhouse. I wasn't looking to make a biological weapon. That was a byproduct, if you will. It was only ever an alarm, and of course, a security guard… A deadlier security guard than any you will ever find.

"If the plant is tampered with before the command word is spoken, or touched by anyone but myself, it will aerosolize its toxin into the atmosphere of the greenhouse. Fortunately, the other plants are immune to the toxin. The bugs in the greenhouse aren't and they will have died as well. Also fortunate, the poison becomes inert as soon as it leaves the controlled environment of the greenhouse, so it can never harm outsiders, unless the command has been given, of course.

"But… Every agent that was in that greenhouse breathed in a neurotoxin a thousand times stronger than that of the blue ringed octopus. Since it's obvious that they made it back to base with the toxin, they clearly didn't die right away.

"But, over the next few days, they would feel dizzy, weak, nauseous, and soon, they would die. I doubt the Union would kick up a huge fuss about a few agents, no matter how strong. But, if I see that there are a lot of dead bugs in the greenhouse, it's proof that my security guard did its job."

"Brava, Shinwoo. Brava. You know, you and I… We really aren't so different. We're both ambitious. We're both powerful, and we're both willing to do what is necessary to meet our goals.

"For you, your 'goals' if they can so be called, fall mainly in the realm of becoming stronger, helping friends, supporting loved ones, and making a few dollars along the way. For me… My loved ones are the entire world. I seek to empower the entire world, bring the human race farther than it has ever imagined itself capable. You have already begun to do that by releasing that 'Cure'. Of course, most of the Union's top agents' abilities far outstrip those of an Olympic level athlete, anyway.

"Still, to naturally come by the level of power of an Olympic level athlete from birth is… No mean feat. I suspect even the professor would be slightly envious of your accomplishments. Won't you please join the Union, and let us take you places you never would have dreamed of going, doing things you never would have dreamed of doing, and making things you never could have dreamed possible.

"Why do you really reject my offer? It is an offer only a madman would not accept, and yet… And yet, you refuse my gift like it is nothing. And, though I ask, I think I know why. You have not completely shucked your human hesitance. You fear the kind of power that I offer, fear that it will corrupt you… When already you are corrupted. There is no escaping that truth.

"Your heart, your mind, your soul, already belong to the darkness. So, run if you must. But one day, you will come around, and on that day, I will be waiting with open arms, ready to usher you into that world that you hid from for so long."

"You're wrong. But, tell yourself that if it makes you feel better. Now, tell me your business, or leave. This is my best friend's wedding, and you're ruining it."

"Of course. My apologies. I wish to attempt to recruit you for the Union. We still need competent Elders, and… Having studied under the Professor, himself, your skill in human modification is likely second only to his. We would relish having your expertise amongst our ranks."

"Oh, I'm sure you would. Sadly, I have no interest in your offer. Now, if you would be so kind, leave this place… Now."

"Of course. Have a good day, Han Shinwoo." Tesamu said with a bright smile, turning and leaving.

"God! I'm feeling a little dizzy, guys… I think I need to go home…" Yuna said, swaying on her feet as she tried to stand up, collapsing back on the couch. She had drunk a fair amount of wine with the rest of the group. Though her physical abilities were drastically enhanced by the Cure 2.0, she was still a girl of fairly small stature. It made sense that she wasn't holding her alcohol well.

"I will take you home, Miss Yuna…" Linus said, standing and putting on his shoes.

"Nnno… I can make it on myown…" She said, her words slurring together slightly. Linus shook his head.

"Not an option. I will be back shortly, boss." He said, taking her to the door, and heading out.

 _Remember to be a gentleman, M-21._ Frankenstein said telepathically. M-21 nodded.

"Sho… Linus… Whatshon your mind tonigh…" Yuna asked, practically hanging on Linus, who turned away, blushing slightly.

"My mind is on getting you home safely. I would not want you getting hurt on my watch, especially by me." Linus said, looking around. As they got closer to Yuna's apartment, though, the street lights began to flicker.

"Damn shoddy city lights." Linus muttered angrily, hurrying Yuna along. Finally, they made it to her apartment, and went inside, seeing that Yuna's mother was there as well."

"Good evening, Seo-ssi… I apologize for getting Yuna home so late. She's… Had a little too much wine at the wedding party, so she might have a bit of a headache tomorrow. Principal Lee said to give her these pills, and the headache should subside within an hour or so."

"Thank you, Linus. You've been very good to my daughter. I still have trouble with the idea that you're so much older than her… But, she seems happy with you, so, who am I to complain? Will you stay for tea, Linus?"

"I appreciate it, ma'am. But no. I need to get back. Please excuse me, Seo-ssi…"

"Please, Linus… Call me Seongmin."

"I… Yes, of course, Seongmin-ssi."

"Please, Linus… Sit down with me. Talk with me. I insist." Yuna's mother said as Linus took Yuna to bed, then came back to the kitchen, and sat down across from her. She looked at him silently as he looked back at her silently.

"Yuna takes after you very much. She's the spitting image."

"Yes… But I didn't ask you to sit so we could talk about Yuna. I want to talk about you. I respect you, and I will not stop my daughter from dating you, but you are a mystery wrapped in an enigma. I know nothing of where you came from, who you were, or are, really.

"You work as a security guard at my daughter's school, and live with the headmaster. Beyond that, I know nothing, save that you discomfit me every time I see you, and though you have protected my daughter time and again, and seem to be treating her well, other than that, I know very little, save that I feel… Unsettled when I'm around you.

"I cannot place my finger on why that is, and I don't believe you're bad. Only that you defy description."

"Well, I… I cannot tell you everything. You wouldn't believe me if I did. But, I came from Finland. I don't remember who my parents were, or what city or town I lived in. I'm much older than I look."

"How old are you really? Tell me."

"Approximately 130 years, ma'am. You may not believe it. I was born a human, but was modified by a human organization and implanted with the heart of a Werewolf."

"Ahahaha! You're funny. No, seriously. I can appreciate a sense of humor, but I want you to tell me the truth."

"Very well. Please stay seated. Finish the tea, if you would… I would rather you not try to use the hot water as a weapon. I can heal from it quickly, but it would still hurt."

Seongmin nodded, and finished her cup of tea, looking at Linus as he stood up, removing his jacket and shirt, and transforming into his Werewolf form. Seongmin shrieked as he transformed, then transformed back.

"Please, do not be afraid, Seongmin-ssi. I have no intention of harming you, your daughter, or any of her friends. I am… Indebted to Principal Lee, and these children, young as they are, are some of the best friends I've ever had. Noisy as they are, rambunctious as they can be, they're good, noble people and I would never trade their friendship for anything. So, as much of a mystery as my past is to you, it's largely a mystery to me as well. So I look mainly to the future."

"I-I-I s-see… S-so… Y-you're a W-W-W…"

"A Werewolf? No. Nothing so grandiose. I'm just a human who had a Werewolf heart implanted in him. I was… Fortunate enough to survive the procedure where most of my comrades died from rejection of the modifications made. I've met several real Werewolves, who tell me that I seem very much like a Werewolf, but that they can distinctly tell that I am not."

"Well, if it barks like a dog and scratches like a dog… Right?"

"Funny…" Linus said, not actually seeming terribly amused. "No, I can assure you that I have met some real Werewolves, and their power eclipses mine. I may have the lifespan and transformative abilities of a Werewolf. But that is only because I was modified to be able to do so. Are there any other questions?"

"Yes. Do you intend to bite my Yuna and make her a Werewolf like you?"

"First of all, I am not a Werewolf. I have the heart of a Werewolf implanted in me. You seem to be missing that distinction. Second, you've watched too many horror movies. Werewolves don't do that. They never have had that ability, and I don't believe they ever will. A Werewolf is born a Werewolf and that is that. I am the closest there has ever been to an 'infected' Werewolf, if you will."

"I see. So, you'll stay young forever, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Perhaps. I'm not certain. My regeneration grants me an extended lifespan, similar to True Werewolves. But my actual lifespan is a mystery, since frankly, nobody has ever implanted a Werewolf's heart in a human before."

"I see. But Yuna will live a normal human lifespan."

"Hmm… Well, I really must go, Seongmin-ssi. Thank you for the tea." Linus said quietly, bowing politely and heading out. Yuna's mother sighed. There wasn't much she could do if he wasn't going to tell her anything about himself. Maybe another time.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Well… I… I guess this is goodbye, then… For now, anyway." Shinwoo said, hugging Yuna tightly.  
"Yeah… Well, we'll all be back for holidays, right?"

"It's just not going to be the same without you and Ikhan and Suyi. Make sure to write us." Shinwoo said. Then, he gasped.

"Oh! And make sure that you continue to keep notes on your conditions… All of you. Take note of any abnormalities, any unusual abilities you may develop, and make sure that you don't skimp on details."

"Of course. I've begun to notice an ability to hear people's feelings… O-only when I'm actually touching the person… Like, just now, when you hugged me, your sadness washed over me." Yuna said. Shinwoo nodded.

"The beginnings of psychic empathy. It's common for transmission of empathic messages to be made through touch, especially when you've just developed the ability. Make sure that you meditate at some point during each day. It will help you learn to control your abilities. It's unlikely that your psychic empathy will ever extend past a few feet, but, if you're starting to notice that you feel others' feelings across the room, take note of it, and contact me.

"You may begin to notice that you're experiencing other people's dreams at night, especially if you live in a dorm with someone else. Be careful that you don't violate others' privacy without just cause."

"I understand. I'll send my thoughts on my new abilities with any mail I send you, Shinwoo. Hopefully, we'll see each other sooner rather than later." Yuna said, not realizing the pun she had just made.

"I'm sure we will. Before you go, though… I need to do something. Seira… We've been dating for… What?"

"About a year and a half, I believe."

"One year, seven months, two weeks, and four days… And, I'm… Nervous about this, but… Seira J. Loyard… Would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Seira's eyes widened slightly as Shinwoo presented a white gold ring with a beautiful diamond in it. It was a red diamond, but with an 'impurity' of white diamond dissecting it in the shape of a cross in the center. The cross seemed to glow with intense energy. Yuna and Suyi were speechless, holding their breath as Seira looked at the ring in Shinwoo's hand. It seemed like she had no idea what to say either.

"I-I kinda took the idea of making a ring from the Noblesse, but… I-I hope…" Shinwoo stammered, embarrassed now that she wasn't saying anything. Had he proposed too soon? Was she not ready to get married? Or maybe she just wasn't interested.

"I-I understand, Seira… I'll…"

"Yes." Seira whispered, taking the ring and slipping it on her finger. A perfect fit. She held the ring up, admiring it briefly.

It was very elegant, Regis commented mentally. Shinwoo had really come a long way over the years that Regis had known him.

"Well… This is my ride. I'll write you all in Japanese. You guys can read Japanese, right?" Ikhan asked. Most of them shook their heads. Shinwoo nodded, though.

"I'm fluent in all languages."

"You still have some work to do in learning the Noble Language, Han Shinwoo." Seira chastised. Shinwoo laughed sheepishly.

"The Noble Language is difficult. It's unlike any other language."

"Of course it isn't! But all other languages bear a resemblance to it! Noble society preceded human society by at least 10,000 years. The Noble Language hasn't changed in tens of thousands of years, unlike human languages, which have evolved so far as to be nearly indistinguishable from the Noble Language. Some ancient humans have called the Noble Language 'Adamic', or the language of Adam and Eve, and attributed it to a divine language.

"Ridiculous stories have risen around our language, society and people. Most of them are complete rubbish."

"So… The Noble Language is the true First Language?" Shinwoo asked. Seira nodded.

"Arguably. Though, it is so only because humans sought to emulate us in word and deed, attributing to us the traits of deities. We discouraged this practice, but never took a more active role than that. It seems only natural in hindsight that they'd begin to resent us, and try to become more powerful than we are." Regis said thoughtfully. Shinwoo nodded.

"Would you like me to take you guys back to Lukedonia? Shinwoo asked. "I could actually take all of you to your destinations. I do have teleportation abilities."

"Would you really be able to transport all of our luggage as well, Shinwoo? I would worry about that." Yuna said. Shinwoo laughed, though.

"Absolutely. I've tested my ability with up to 15.5 metric tons of matter. I doubt I could teleport a Boeing jet, but I could teleport all the people on one most likely in addition to their luggage. Let's go. It's better than taking a plane or a taxi. I couldn't make you spend that kind of money when I could just as easily transport you, myself. Hurry up, y'all. I'm sure you wanna get settled. Let's go in order of distance. Ikhan, you're going all the way to Japan, right?"

"Yeah. Tokyo." Ikhan said. Shinwoo connected mentally with Ikhan, getting his full bearings, and grabbing onto him tightly.

"Okay, here's the deal. I don't want to lose any of you in transit. Teleportation is powerful, and useful, but it can be dangerous. If you aren't holding on tightly enough to the one executing the actual teleportation, your body can be thrown from theirs.

"And, well, that would be no bueno. Teleportation is immediate transportation, but if you get thrown from the teleporting body, you could end up just about anywhere between the two locations, including in the middle of the ocean, which, in this case is the Sea of Japan. Now, I know you are all much stronger and more powerful than you were just a week ago, but I doubt any of you could swim that far. Understand?" Shinwoo asked. The group nodded.

Tendrils of biomass began to extend from Shinwoo's hands, becoming thicker and denser, and wrapping around the rest of the group.

"Now, don't fight the tendrils. Calm down, Suyi, they're not slimy. They're perfectly dry, and actually quite clean." Shinwoo said, completely wrapping them all together along with their luggage, and teleporting, first to Tokyo, Japan, where he stopped at Ikhan's university.

"Okay, Ikhan. You know your way from here, right?" Shinwoo asked. Ikhan nodded. Shinwoo smiled sadly, hugging his best friend tightly.

"I wish we had just a little while left to hang out, to play games with Raizel, and Yuna, and Suyi, and the rest of our friends. I'm sure you'll enjoy college immensely. You probably already know more than some of the professors." Shinwoo said with a laugh, letting go of Ikhan, and releasing his luggage as well.

He then focused again, and teleported back to Korea, in a city called Guri, about fifteen minutes by car from Seoul, taking her directly to her new college, where both she and M-21 got off.

"I'll… Join you guys later." Linus said. "Please, go ahead." Linus prompted. Shinwoo nodded, hugging Yuna.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"I'm gonna miss you, Yuna. Maybe we'll see you soon?"  
"Of course we will! Shinwoo, I only live twenty minutes away by car. I've been running every day. It would only take me an hour, maybe to get there if I ran most of the way."

"Of course. I look forward to hearing about your progress." Shinwoo said, pulling away from Yuna, and saying goodbye, attaching himself to the rest of the group, and teleporting back to Seoul.

"Linus, I know that I'll be able to see you fairly often, but… I'm going to miss you. It just won't be the same, not seeing you every day at school."

"I know. I feel the same way. I've… Never been good at expressing my emotions, so this is new for me. I love you… Um…"

"That's okay. You don't need to say anything more." Yuna said, kissing Linus tenderly on the lips. She pulled away slowly, blushing slightly.

"So, you're sure that there's no way that you could turn me into a Werewolf?" Yuna asked. Linus sighed.

"I'm 100% positive that there is absolutely no way that I could make you a Werewolf.

"However… If you really are so intent on becoming one, you could ask Shinwoo. He did mention that he turned himself into a Noble/Werewolf/Human hybrid. He also has other genetic traits in there, but those are the three dominant ones. I'm pretty sure that he could easily make you into a Werewolf, if you were so inclined. But why on earth would you want to be a Werewolf? I never asked to be modified… I just wanted to be a normal human…"

"Well… Lots of reasons, really. But, I want to be like you."

"I'm not a Werewolf. I'm very much like a Werewolf… But then, a doll looks very much like a human… Lots of dolls even talk. But they're not humans."

"Why haven't you asked Shinwoo to make you a full Werewolf, then? Wouldn't you become more powerful? You could use that power to help defend our town."

"I had considered asking Shinwoo to do that for me. I don't wish to be a bother, though."

"Didn't you ask Principal Lee to modify you further? Your enhancements are still ongoing, as I recall."

"You make a good point. I'll ask him… But you have to ask him for yourself. Still, you should start getting unpacked. I'm sure that you'll want to meet your roommate and get settled in your new dorm. Oh, you remembered your diary, correct? To catalog your progress?"

"Yes, I did. Shinwoo made me a beautiful black leatherbound diary with a silver lock on it. It's a funny lock, really. It opens as soon as I say 'open'. I bet it doesn't even need a metal lock on it."

"Probably not. Hm… I… I'll go, now. I'll see you on the weekend, I promise." Linus said, embracing Yuna, and kissing her once more, before heading off.

Yuna opened her dorm room door, sighing at the mess that was already accumulating around the room.

"Hey, you must be… Seo Yuna…" Her roommate, a girl with a sandy brown, almost grey mop of hair on her head, and wire rimmed glasses. Behind the mop of hair that covered her head, and a good portion of her face, she seemed like she had a friendly smile.

"Um… Let's see…" Yuna said, looking at the paper that had her room number and roommate on it.

"Elisabeth Aiello… Did I pronounce that right?"

"Ah! Molto bene! Call me Lisa." Elisabeth said cheerfully, laughing happily.

She seemed like a very cheerful woman, Yuna thought, slightly nonplussed at Elisabeth's eccentric reactions.

"Would you… Be so good as to push your hair out of your face? I'd like to be able to look you in the eye when I talk to you."

"Certamente…" (Of course) She said, pushing her hair out of her eyes, revealing beautiful sharp green eyes.

"I… Hate to seem racist, but… I had heard that Italians tended to have olive colored skin, and black hair and brown eyes. Was… I mistaken?"

"Ahaha! No, I'm from Northern Italy, Milan, though even there, it's not so clear cut anymore."

"Oh, sorry. I'm afraid that I don't really know Italian. I can speak English, Korean, Spanish, and a little bit of Chinese. But overall, I'm afraid I'd be useless in Italy." Yuna said sheepishly. Lisa laughed again.

"Ah, I speak Korean pretty well… I'm not exactly fluente… But I can speak it in passing."

"You mean 'passably'? You seem to speak better than passably. But, I wonder, why do you hide your eyes? They're so beautiful."

"Destra! (Right!) Thank you so much. It's not so much that I'm hiding my eyes… My hair just doesn't want to sit flat… I used to try, but I don't bother anymore. It's a waste of my time… Besides, my hairdo is a good avviamento di conversazione (conversation starter)."

"Hmm… Well, it is… Wait, what? Avviamento di conversazione? What does that mean?"

"Hmm… Beginning of talk? Starter of discussion?" Lisa said, struggling to find the right words.

"Ah!" Yuna said, snapping her fingers. "A conversation starter, you mean?"

"Yes… A… Conversation starter…" She said, sounding out the words slowly.

"Thank you, senpai…"

"Um… Senpai?" Yuna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Did I pronounce that wrong?" Lisa asked, uncertainly.

"Well, you pronounced it correctly… But… The Japanese use the word 'senpai', not Koreans."

"Oh… I'm so sorry. What is the proper Korean term, then?"

"Seonbae… But, I would prefer you didn't call me that, either. Just call me Yuna. I'm your roommate, hopefully your friend. Not your senior, your better, or anything like that."

"We're… Friends? You're the first friend I've made in Korea!" Lisa squealed happily, hugging Yuna tightly, kissing her. Suddenly, Yuna shoved Lisa away.

"L-Lisa! I… Appreciate the sentiment, but… I'm not… Gay…"

"Oh, neither am I. I'm bisessuale… I like boys and girls."

"Well… I-I don't… And, I have a boyfriend, so… As flattered as I am, I would appreciate it if you didn't try that again."

"Fair enough. Sorry, Yuna… Friends, then?" She asked. Yuna nodded, and shook the hand that Lisa put out.

"Boy, Sono muso sopra zampe." Elisabeth said cheerfully. Yuna raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry?" Yuna asked. She had mentioned that she didn't understand Italian.

"Oh, nothing. It's just a saying that my people have. It doesn't have a perfect translation into your language." Lisa said. Yuna's eyes narrowed slightly. Lisa wasn't exactly lying, but she wasn't telling the whole truth, either. Yuna realized that her empathy was getting stronger. She could tell that this girl wasn't telling the full truth, despite not having touched her.

"Listen, we've just gotten into college, we don't have anything to do tonight… I don't, anyway. You wanna go get some food? I know a great steakhouse."

"S-sure… I can't eat meat, but… I'm sure they have something vegetarian there."

"I think they have a small selection of vegetarian food."

"Good evening, Lisa… Good to see you again. I see you've brought a friend." The waiter said.

"Si! Listen, my friend is… Vegetariano… You have some foods that would suit her, right?"

"Hmm… Well, this is primarily a steakhouse, but I think we can accomodate your friend… For you, Lisa, anything."

"Grazie mille! C'mon, Yuna. They've got some food for you to eat."

"Oh, good."

"Listen, you don't mind if I get steak, do you? I love my meat poco cotto." Lisa said, seeming concerned. Yuna smiled.

"I don't see why not. Just because I don't eat meat doesn't mean others can't. I'll really have to get an Italian-Korean dictionary. Maybe you could interject in English rather than Italian?"

"Ah! Si! I-I mean, yes."  
"I understand 'si'. I'd love to learn Italian, though. Maybe you could teach me?"

"Certamente! Um, I mean, of course. Maybe you could help me improve my Korean?"  
"Sure. I'd be happy to." Yuna said, sitting down across from Lisa.

"So, tell me about Italy. It must be a beautiful country."

"Oh, si! Italy is the luogo, the place where Rome used to be. The center of ancient European civilization… Up even into the Rinascimento, the… I guess the English would be the 'Italian Renaissance', Italy was one of the central locations of European culture.

"'Vatican City, Rome, Venice… And Grecia, er, 'Greece' is just around the corner."

"Fascinating. I've always wanted to see Europe."

"Good afternoon, ladies. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"I'd like an amaretto, please?"

"Certainly. I need to see some ID, please."

"Oh, sure… Will my passport work?"

"Absolutely." The waiter said, looking at the passport, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'm sorry. I can't serve you alcohol." The waiter said regretfully.

"What? Why!" Lisa demanded. Yuna laughed uncertainly.

"I'm not sure what the drinking age is in Italy, but in Korea, it's 20. I'll just have some water, please."

Lisa sighed.

"I guess I'll have Pepsi."

"Got it. Be right back." The waiter said, handing Lisa her passport back.

The waiter nodded, and walked off, leaving Lisa and Yuna to talk for a little while while they read their menus. Yuna could immediately sort out anything with meat in it. It wasn't that she didn't like the taste of meat, but rather that meat _felt_ bad to her. Her new empathic powers caused meat to resonate negatively for her. Lisa looked at her menu quickly, and then put it down.

"So, Yuna… What was it like growing up in Korea?" Elisabeth asked. Yuna thought for a moment, still studying her menu. It was hard to find something with no meat in it.

"Well, I was always a slightly shy person, so I didn't have a lot of friends. But Suyi, Shinwoo, and Ikhan were my best friends all through elementary, middle and high school.

"In our second year of high school, Rai joined our group and we… We sort of made friends with our principal and the school security. It's ironic. I ended up dating one of the members of school security."

"Really? But, wouldn't he be a lot older than you?"

"Yes, much older. He's about 25 years old. It's legal in Korea… Uncommon, but legal. Then, Seira and Regis joined our group. Our group of friends really grew in high school. Shinwoo is engaged to Seira, now, and Rai is married to a childhood friend of his from his home country."

"Really? Where is this Rai from?"

"Well, Cadis Etrama diRaizel, Erga Kenesis diRaskreia, Regis and Seira are all from an island nation called Lukedonia."

Lisa's eyes widened slightly, but she immediately covered her surprise. Yuna caught a feeling of shock from the Italian girl, though.

"Are you ladies ready to order?" The waiter asked. Both nodded.

"Yuna, how do you say 'extra rare' in your language?"

"You want your steak extra-rare? You are aware of the possible health risks involved with eating undercooked meat, right?" The waiter asked. Elisabeth nodded.

"I'd like potatoes and asparagus, please. If you could make sure there's no meat juice contamination?" Yuna asked. The waiter nodded.

"We'll… Do our best. This is a steakhouse."

"Thank you. We will be out soon with your meals, ladies." The waiter said, turning and heading back to the kitchen.

"You eat your steaks rare?" Yuna asked. Elisabeth shrugged.

"What can I say? I have a taste for bloody meat, and they won't let me eat it room temperature… Believe me, I've tried to order it room temperature."

"Sorry I asked."

"If I may ask, why do you have such a problem with meat? You're not preachy like most vegetarians I know, but you're very devout."

"Well… Have you heard of a person being an empath?"

"Yes. I had a friend like that once. It was very annoying. I couldn't get anything past her. I couldn't even surprise her on her birthday."

"Well, I'm an empath… And a Highly Sensitive Person. Basically, overcrowded scenes overwhelm me. I can't eat meat, not because I have a moral objection, but because…"

"Because you get negative psychic relash from it. I understand, now. Please tell me if I'm ever being too loud. Actually, I'm surprised you can stand being in a city.

"The one HSP that I knew couldn't go into crowded rooms, they hated living in Milan. His family moved to the Italian countryside to escape from the negative emotions that constantly washed over him in the city. Actually, I'm surprised that someone as sensitive as you wants to be a doctor. Won't the pain of the patients be too much?"

"Maybe. But I want to be able to help people. I'm really just coming into my abilities, so I need to learn to control them. A friend of mine suggested that I meditate. So, if you see me sitting on the floor with my eyes closed, that's what I'm doing." Yuna said. Lisa nodded.

"So, Europe is a pretty small continent… Have you seen the rest of Europe?" Yuna asked. Lisa thought for a moment.

"I've seen some of Europe. I've been to France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Romania, Portugal, Poland, the Czech Republic, Turkey, the Ukraine, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. So, most of the major countries in Europe.

"Honestly, a number of countries in Europe are so small as to seem insignificant. And honestly, places like Belarus, Moldova, and other such countries… They were part of the former Soviet Union, but they weren't major players in Europe. I still would like to see the rest of Europe, someday. Maybe you could come with me."

"That sounds like fun.

"Your meals, ladies." The waiter said politely, bowing and setting the meals down before Yuna and Lisa. Lisa seemed elated about her meal, immediately taking the knife, and cutting it open with deceptive strength, tearing the meat apart as though it were no tougher than room temperature cheese. Yuna took her time, appreciating the smell of the food first, before taking a small spoonful of her potatoes and eating them. They were perfectly spiced so that they didn't taste too strong, but were also not too weak.

The vegetables were also perfectly cooked. She realized that she needed to go running later. She had, of late, taken up an exercise regimen. She would need to sign up in a gym in the area. She was grateful to Shinwoo for imbuing her with martial arts skills, and also making her superhuman with the modified Cure Virus. But she agreed that she needed to work on her strength and agility on her own. She could be a master of every martial art in the world, but if she never trained, then it would be pointless.

"Yuna, I noticed that you're very graceful. Are you a martial artist by any chance?" Lisa asked. Yuna smiled.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. You?"

"Judo, Krav Maga, Ju Jitsu, and Karate. What styles do you know?" Lisa asked. Yuna sighed. "Baguazhang, Tai Chi, Parkour, Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Capoeira."

"Wow. six martial arts? You look so young, though. I spent my entire life learning martial arts, but most people don't have that level of skill."

"Well… I have a number of more talented friends. Shinwoo may only be eighteen, but he's been known to beat world champions in MMA."

"Well, you seem to have very talented friends, indeed… Oh, gods, this steak is good! Are you sure you won't have some? Just a bite won't kill you, right?"

"Quite sure. I told you, I don't begrudge you eating meat. But I won't eat meat."

"Well… Would you like to spar with me, sometime? Maybe your boyfriend, that Shinwoo guy can spar with me as well."

"What!? Sh-Shinwoo isn't my boyfriend! He's my best friend. I told you, the security guard is my boyfriend!" Yuna gasped, hacking and coughing, having breathed in her potatoes.

"Sorry, sorry. My mistake. Well, the security guard must know some martial arts. How else could he guard the school? Maybe he could spar with me sometime?"

"M-maybe. I don't think it would be a fair fight." Yuna said with a nervous smile, thinking that Linus would seriously injure Lisa if they tried to spar. Linus was used to fighting much stronger opponents, not weaker ones that weren't even modified or superhuman. Lisa might be strong for a human. But she couldn't possibly be stronger than a Werewolf."

"Maybe you could teach me Parkour, some time? I've always kind of wanted to learn Freerunning." Lisa asked. Yuna smiled.

"Sure. We'll need to stretch well before we go running. Maybe we could spar a bit after dinner on the quad. I could use some practice as well."

"Great!" Lisa said, tearing into another chunk of steak, and chewing it.

Finally, the two girls finished dinner, and Yuna reached into her wallet to pay. Lisa stopped her, though.

"Please, this was my treat. Seriously, between you and me, I have more money than I know what to do with. My… Great-great grandfather invented something stupid, and my family got rich off of it." Lisa said offhandedly. Yuna could tell that there was something wrong with her statement. It wasn't an outright lie. She hadn't told any outright lies, but something was a bit off about what she was saying.

Still, Yuna couldn't complain. She didn't have much money. She was just a college student.

"This isn't a date, though, Lisa. Seriously."

"What? Date? No, of course not. It was my idea to go out to dinner, though. I thought it would be rude not to pay for it. Thank you…" She said, turning to the waiter, smiling politely, and handing him the cash along with a tip.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Linus knocked on Yuna's dormitory door, holding flowers from Shinwoo's greenhouse behind his back. He had chosen a few technicolour roses, a few exotic flowers that Shinwoo had created, himself, and a few flowers that thrived in warm environments. Linus waited a few minutes before a girl that Linus had never seen before answered the door.

"Hey… Those flowers are gorgeous, but you don't look like a college student. You're way too old."

"Rudeness!" Came a voice from behind Linus. Both Linus and Lisa looked around, and saw a black haired man with dark blue, almost black eyes."

"Sorry, sorry. But… I mean, his hair is grey. Who else but an old man has grey hair?"

"Is Yuna here, Miss…?"

"Call me Lisa. Yuna went out for a run. She's been gone for at least an hour, so she must be going on a long ass run."

"I see. I will wait out here for her." Linus said calmly, beginning to sit down in the hallway. Lisa shook her head, though.

"No way! You guys can come in. Hey… Um, Tao, right? You look like an egghead. Maybe you could fix my computer? I'll pay you if you need me to, but… It's been fritzing like nobody's business."  
"Yeah, sure. I can tune it up a bit. No charge. Any friend of Miss Yuna's, right?" Tao asked, going in and sitting down in front of an expensive looking laptop, and cracking his knuckles, turning it on.

"Hmm… Yes… Yes… Hmmm… No… Did you install this program? Norton Antivirus?"

"Of course. What other antivirus program would I use?"

"Just about _any_ other program. Think of Norton as a nasty little tick. Once it's programmed into the computer, it's nearly impossible to get out."

"Can you get it out?"

"Of course I can! I'm the great Tao!" Tao exclaimed, tapping away on the keyboard. After a minute or two, Tao whooped and moved onto installing a new antivirus program. He took into account what Shinwoo's computers were like, taking out the laptop Shinwoo gave to him, and connecting the two wirelessly.

"Computer, run diagnostic scan."

"Yes, Great Tao. Diagnostic Command?"

"Complete scan confirmed. Run scan and eliminate any undesirable installations. Check with commander first." Tao ordered. The computer flashed twice, and began to run a diagnostic scan.

Tao nodded along with the computer as numerous "undesirable" installations flashed up on the screen. After a minute or two, it stopped, and Tao began listing the programs that the computer mentioned.

"Girl, you _seriously_ need to ease up on your internet surfing. I dunno what kinda sites you've been on, but wherever you've been, it can't be user friendly."

"I'll keep that in mind. Perhaps you could just install a firewall to protect my computer for me?"

"What? What do you normies think a firewall is? Do you think that I can just conjure one off the internet? It's a highly complex program that requires hours upon hours of work to make!"

"So, you can't do it?" Lisa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, no. I can. I just wanted to impress upon you how much work goes into such a program. Let's see. Yes… Yes… I think this will work." Tao said, typing away furiously as Yuna walked in, still breathing heavily from her run.

"Yuna! You're back! That… Linus guy is here to see you."

"Hello, Yuna. I brought flowers. From the looks of it, this room could really use some cheering up." Linus said flatly. "It looks like a funeral home in here."

"What did you say, bastard!?" Lisa snarled. Linus laughed privately at this.

"You heard me. They're flowers from Shinwoo's greenhouse, so you'll need to read the notes he wrote on caring for them."

"Thank you, Linus! That's so sweet of you. I just went out for my run, but we can head out again if you like… See the town, and everything."

"Sure." Linus said quietly. He looked back at Lisa.

"Actually… You go ahead. I'll catch up with you, I promise."

"Oh… Okay… I'll be just outside. Come with me when you're ready."

"Of course." Linus said, waiting for Yuna to leave and close the door.

"I know what you are, Miss Lisa." Linus said sternly. Lisa gasped.

"You… You do?"

"Yes. I sensed it as soon as I saw you. What is a Werewolf doing in a human college?"

"I want to get a PhD in genetics, biology and physics. I believe that I can help my people recover from the loss of our previous Lord if I become a genetic modification researcher.

"Our previous Lord, Sir Maduke caused the Clan to lose its way with his methods of modification research. But that doesn't mean that modifying Werewolves is bad in itself. You're a modified human, both of you are. Neither of you could have been modified without countless experiments and successes and failures. Our previous Lord was wicked and corrupt. But he was right. Just because we're not human doesn't mean that we can't use human methods of improvement."

"I understand that… So, you have no intention of harming Yuna?"

"Harming Yuna? Of course not. She's one of the most amazing women I've ever met. It would be a crime against humanity to deprive them of such an incredible person."

"Hmm… You're very well spoken for a Werewolf. I've met a number of your warriors. They're excellent fighters, but not great speakers." Linus commented. Lisa scowled.

"It's true. I'm no fighter. I'm only 140 years old, so I'm still very young by my race's standards. Are you a Werewolf? I'm sensing the smell of my people on you, but it's very weak. You must be young."

"I'm not a Werewolf. I'm a human who had a Werewolf heart implanted in me. I'm becoming more like a Werewolf every day, though."

"Hmm… So like humans to want what isn't theirs. Regardless, go. See your girlfriend. Just… Get out of my sight." Lisa sneered.

"Oh, and don't tell Yuna my little secret… I don't think it would be good for our relationship."

"It's not my business what secrets you keep. But if you harm her, I will hunt you down and kill you."

"Understood." Lisa said as Linus left the room, shutting the door and heading out with Yuna.

"How are you enjoying college?" Linus asked. Yuna thought for a moment.

"They chemistry and anatomy courses are very interesting, and are helping me with my martial arts. With the knowledge of anatomy I'm learning, I can target vital points more easily and efficiently. It's great, sparring with Elisabeth. She's very strong. I'm surprisingly evenly matched with her."

"Yes, I suspect you are. You're likely a good match for her."

"Yeah… I'm teaching her Freerunning and Parkour, and she's teaching me Judo, Krav Maga, Ju Jitsu, and Karate. Takedowns are difficult, especially when the opponent is stronger or equal in strength to you. I'm really learning a lot from her."

"I'm sure. It's not the same in Seoul without you and your friends.

"Frankenstein's house is much quieter without you and your friends at night. Shinwoo visits occasionally… But much less now that Miss Seira lives with him. Miss Seira's tutoring business is really taking off, and Shinwoo's dojo is becoming highly successful. I never expected Shinwoo to become quite so successful. As talented as he was, he never seemed much inclined to the academic aspects of the world."

"Ahaha! I suppose that's true. Shinwoo was always a lot smarter than he let on. He acted like a slacker, but his unique style of martial arts required a lot of calculation of the opponent's strengths and weaknesses. How do you think he managed to survive against opponents that were so far out of his league?" Yuna asked. Linus sighed.

"To be honest, I always believed it was a mixture of luck, his seemingly superhuman fortitude, and his ability to move with his opponent to minimize the damage."

"Exactly, and that ability to move just so is not easy to pick up. I've known Shinwoo since elementary school… He was always more of a physical individual than an academic one. But he gravitated to martial arts like a fish to water."

"Indeed he did. Where are we going?"

"Well, we're going to a restaurant. I found this really great vegan restaurant downtown."

"I see."

"Sorry… Did you want to go somewhere with meat?"

"No. This is fine. I've known some vegans before. They were Highly Sensitive People, and the preservatives in meat bothered them terribly. Actually, M-01, M-29, M-38, and M-96 had limited empathic abilities. They joked about secretly being Indigo Children. I'm not sure if I believe them. But the few times they had meat, they certainly reacted badly. By the way, how is your cataloging of your new abilities going? Shinwoo requested that I retrieve copies of your data."

"Oh. Sure. I've got the copies back in my room. You seem to be carrying a pretty big something with you."

"Yes. Something from Shinwoo for you." Linus said, taking out a relatively small case and handing it to Yuna, who opened it, gasping."

"He… Bought me a laptop? That's an awfully major gift."

"No. He made it himself… Out of biomass. He says it was free for him to make. He's been working on building ultralight laptops. This one weighs about 0.45 kilograms, or just under 1 pound. Computers aren't my strength. But Shinwoo wrote out instructions for the computer. Enjoy." Linus said, handing a small pamphlet to Yuna, which she tucked away in the computer case.

"Thank Shinwoo for me, if you would. We're here." Yuna said, heading into the restaurant. Linus followed shortly after.

"Hello, Yuna… Good to see you again. This must be the man you've told us about. Please, come sit down."

"Thank you, Su." Yuna said politely, following Su, and sitting down at one of the small tables that the restaurant had. Linus sat down as well.

"I hate to say it, but all of this looks like rabbit food." Linus said, wrinkling his nose. Yuna sighed.

"You don't have to eat. But I'm starving. I just ran ten and a half kilometers, and I'm exhausted and starving."

"What can I get for you two?" The waiter asked. Yuna skimmed the menu one last time.

"Mashed potatoes and asparagus, please."

"Of course. Scallions in your potatoes?"

"Yes please."

"And you, sir?"

"Do you have anything that isn't rabbit food?"

"Hmm… Well, we have vegan ramen if you like… Or lentil loaf with mashed potatoes and squash."

"I guess I'll get that. The lentil loaf. It seems good."

"Absolutely. It'll be right out."

"So, 10.5 kilometers? That's quite impressive for such a short amount of time. Perhaps you're a natural athlete." Linus said. Yuna laughed at this.

"No, no. Shinwoo enhanced my physical abilities greatly, then of course, I was infected with the Cure 2.0, or… Whatever it's called. So, my physical abilities are able to become superhuman. They're not yet. But I suspect that with time, they will be.

"Right now, I estimate my abilities at slightly below those of an Olympic level athlete. I've got the power, but not the skill at using the power."

"Well, you'll develop that over time. I've sparred countless times with Frankenstein to hone my abilities. The entire RK has trained with Frankenstein. We've survived countless battles and become stronger. Fortunately, you have little need to do that. But you can still become stronger and better."

"Maybe if you spar with me, I can?"

"I can spar with you. But I'm used to fighting stronger opponents, so I'm not really that good at holding back."

"Didn't you learn anything from sparring with Principal Lee for all that time?"

"He never once held back. He tried to kill us, and we had to fight our hardest just to stay alive." Linus said grimly. "I don't want to use that kind of strategy against you. Besides, if Shinwoo didn't kill me for doing such a thing, the boss sure would.

"'Miss Yuna doesn't need to train like you did. And if you killed her, I would be _most displeased_!' sounds a bit like what he'd say. And that's if I'm lucky. So no death matches."

"I understand. Maybe Tao and Takeo could help me."

"That would be even worse. They have limited access to Dark Aura, similar to the boss's weapon, though not nearly as powerful. Still, if it becomes powerful enough, they'll be able to use it to absorb other souls, and power themselves up."

"I don't understand. Why would the three of you go through so much pain just to protect us? What do any of you owe us that you would do such things?"

"Well, I can't speak for Tao and Takeo, nor for Yuizi, really. But you kids have been some of the best friends I've ever had. And you're important to Raizel-nim. So you're also important to us. Now, you are able to protect yourselves against most normal threats, but back then, you were just normal humans."

"So, you three put your lives at risk just for us? Weren't you all members of some sociopolitical group called the Union? I would have thought you'd have much bigger priorities than protecting children."

"I think you have the wrong impression of the Union." Linus said, thanking the waiter as he brought their meals to them, and took a bite of the lentil loaf. It was pretty good, actually.

"The Union is in some ways sociopolitical, in that it controls a good portion of the world's governments from behind the scenes. But they also are a scientific organization. Remember that blackout that occurred about a year or so ago? It affected the entirety of Seoul?"

"Yes. That was a little scary. Rael and Regis were walking us home, though, so we were fine."

"Right. Members of the Union set off an EMP above the city. That's what caused the blackout. I suspect that if their bosses knew the liberties that they were taking, they would have been punished. But they shut off power in the entire city, in order to hide their movements. That's how far they're willing to go, and further to remain hidden. They'll kill people to hide their movements. Nothing is more important than remaining hidden. Do you know why?"

"No. Tell me."

"People tend to panic when there are predators around them. They panic when they're frightened, and people who are panicking are harder to control. Have you ever seen someone trying to control a group of people who are terrified? It's not going to work. Their reasoning skills go out the window, and they might as well be animals… Unfortunately, animals would be easier to control in that situation.

"So instead of trying to scare people into obeying them, they make it seem like they don't exist. So the Union exists as a shadow organization. They're incredibly powerful, confirming just about every conspiracy theory about the Illuminati, or the Skull and Crossbones, or whatever you want to call them. They control governments and social organizations from behind their veil of anonymity.

"They've weakened in the past few years, but they're still incredibly powerful, and perhaps even more dangerous because of the fact that they're weakened."

"Weakened? What do you mean?" Yuna asked. Linus sighed.

"Well… The Noblesse and Frankenstein and the rest of us have been fighting the Union, protecting Seoul, and a number of Elders have been killed. How many Elders remain, I don't know. But it's less than half. I was never a high enough level agent to have met an Elder."

"Really? You seem so powerful, though."

"Ahaha! I wasn't always. At one point, I was just a failed experiment. They used me and an agent named M-24 for low level experiments. We were both improving. At first, we needed to take medicine every day to keep our bodies from breaking down. But by the time we first met all of you, I no longer needed the medication, and M-24 only needed to take it once every few days. I was capable of minor physical transformation, and he was beginning to become stronger.

"We had to hide our abilities, though, or else we'd become experimental materials again. When M-24 died, I knew that I had to leave… It's ironic that the man who had been our enemy up to that point would be the one to take me in. But anyway, enough about me. How is college going for you?"

"Oh! Very well. I'm learning a lot about medicine. And, I'm able to control my psychic empathy better, now."

"That's good. I'm sure Shinwoo will be happy about that."

"How are your abilities coming along, Linus?" Yuna asked. Linus sighed.

"Well… Frankenstein has been redoubling my training. I think it's coming along well. The other day, I was sparring with Yuizi, and she attacked, and suddenly, she was in a heap on the other side of the room with a broken arm. I didn't strike back.

"She attacked suddenly, and I felt a sudden headache, and then, well…"

"Telekinesis. Impressive. A sudden blast like that… Have you told Shinwoo yet?"

"Not yet. He's busy with his martial arts school."

"Why not Seira, then? She'll relay the message to him."

"She's got a lot more students, now. People have heard how impressive she is. Some of the parents questioned whether she could actually play all those instruments. So she sat down, played a two person piece on the piano. Then she got her violin, and played a complex piece on that, moved onto the guitar, then the flute, then the ukulele, and so on. Eventually, the parents didn't doubt her anymore, and now, her business is booming."

"I-I see… Seira is quite impressive. I'm almost a little jealous." Yuna said, giggling nervously.

"Really? Why?" Linus asked. Yuna sighed.

"She's just so talented, and beautiful, and…"

"You're beautiful, and talented as well… And you're strong, and kind, and gentle." Linus said, putting a hand on Yuna's, causing the girl to blush slightly.

"Thank you. That's so sweet. Linus, you're letting your lentil loaf get cold. Eat up."

"Right." Linus said, thinking that he preferred actual meatloaf to lentil loaf. It was decent, but meatloaf was amazing. Actually, he had become quite used to having ramen most nights, if not every night. But he enjoyed medium-rare steaks, and generally undercooked meat. Something about the Werewolf in him made him want meat."

"Linus… I-I was wondering… Could you get Shinwoo to turn me into a Werewolf?"

"What? Why? I never wanted to be a Werewolf, or a modified human in general. Now that I have you and all of my friends, I would never trade this life for anything. But being a modified human. Being taken by the Union and experimented on, I never asked for that. Honestly, Shinwoo is only a Werewolf because he programmed it into him via his biological manipulation.

"Werewolves have never, and likely will never be able to turn others into Werewolves."

"Unless someone gives them that ability. I'm not nearly as intelligent as Shinwoo, but I suspect that this Union has not only experimented on modifying humans, but also on Werewolves, and even Nobles. Am I incorrect in thinking this?"

"Well… No. You're not wrong. I've actually fought more a modified Noble and several modified Werewolves. Their power is generally overwhelming."

"And if that's the case, then it would naturally follow that eventually happen, if it hasn't already happened, that an experiment would be done to allow Werewolves to infect humans with lycanthropy.

"If I was informed correctly, your friend M-24 and you travelled with a rather emaciated fellow that M-24 infected with his bite. So M-24 must have been a Vampire of some sort. Am I off in my thinking?"

"Well… Not exactly. But he wasn't a Vampire. He's a modified human, like me. His experiments were very different from mine. In me, Crombel tried to imitate the powers of a Werewolf. In M-24, he tried to imitate the powers of a Noble.

"He believed that he failed in both instances. But one of the side effects of M-24's experiments was that by taking a victim's blood, he could turn them into what the Union called an Infected. The Union had little use for Infected by the time you met us. We really just used the Infected in this case as a mix between a distraction and a tool to assist in our investigation. Infected can't be out in the sun, and they require blood almost daily.

"They're weaker than most modified humans, and almost all of their higher intelligence is gone. They're little more than beasts. They are nearly immune to pain, as evidenced by its immunity to Shinwoo's precise strikes. It's stronger than a human, as evidenced by Shinwoo's inability to successfully grapple it. And the one you remember was an anomaly. It had some level of higher intelligence. It was able to report to Jake and Mary, then to Crombel.

"However, there's very little use for them anymore. The reason the Union was interested in them at first was because they shared similarities to Mutants, which result from a person who made a contract with a Noble, like Frankenstein did, making a contract with another human. In such cases, the contract goes terribly wrong, and the contractor becomes a mindless monster."

"How… How do you know all this? I-I don't mean to be rude, but I thought you were a low level agent."

"I was. The lowest of the low. I got most of this information from Frankenstein and Raizel. You had a point in all of this, I assume?"

"Yes. If the Union can mimic the abilities of Nobles and Werewolves so accurately… The natural conclusion of these modifications, to me, anyway, seems to be to bring them to the next step. Werewolves are few in number right now, I assume. Otherwise, more people would know about them. But I don't feel like they have to be few in number. Just like with M-24's ability to make what you call Infected, why can't modified Werewolves be given the ability to infect humans?"

"Well… That's the kind of question you should ask Frankenstein. Maybe you can ask Tao when we get back." Linus said, finishing off the lentil loaf and moving onto the potatoes. Shortly, the two finished their dinners, and the waiter came back over, and took their plates away, giving them their bill. Linus took out his card, and put it down on top of the bill.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

"H-hey… Y-you must be Miss Loyard?" A young man asked, reaching out to shake Seira's hand."

"Yes. Please, call me Seira. You must be Erik Bohm?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"And do you have an instrument in particular that you want to learn?"

"Yes… I… Would like to learn how to play the mandolin. I-I know you probably don't teach the Mandolin… I-I heard you were th-the best, though, so I thought maybe you would know someone who could teach me!"

"Please, come in. Do you have your own mandolin? If not, I have some of my own. You are free to use one of mine until you can buy your own."

"Y-yes, ma'am. I-I brought one…"

"Good. Please, sit down. You needn't remove your shoes if you don't want to. Though you may if you like." Seira said, retreating to her instrument room, creating a mandolin, experimenting a bit at first, plucking it, and grimacing, making another one, and finding it unacceptable as well. On the third time she made one, she smiled at the sound it produced. It was perfect. She brought it out, sitting down next to Erik, who blushed slightly.

"M-ma'am…"

"I insist. Call me Seira." Seira said quietly. Erik blushed again.

"I-I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. You are my teacher. In my country, one refers to their teacher as Mr. or Mrs., or Sir, or Ma'am." Erik said. Seira nodded. He sounded German. He looked European as well. Black hair and violet eyes, pale skin.

"I see. I will not force you if you do not wish to call me by my first name. How familiar are you with playing the mandolin?"

"Well… I can play the chords on it. I haven't really gotten to any songs, yet… I'd… Sort of like to impress a girl at the college I'm in."

"Of course. I shall teach you Bouquet of Flowers, by Bernardo de Pace. Is that acceptable to you."

"C-could you play it, Ma'am?" Erik asked. Seira nodded.

"If you wish." She said, taking a pick out of her pocket, and tuning the mandolin, before strumming a few times, and starting the piece, playing it beautifully all the way through.

"Does this piece seem acceptable to you, Erik?" Seira asked. Erik nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am. But, you seem so talented at playing the mandolin, and from what I've heard, at just about every instrument, including the Theremin, the glass harp, and the glass harmonica. If there is an instrument you have not mastered, you haven't been asked to play it, yet… Or… So I've been told, Ma'am." Erik said, bowing nervously, having just ranted for so long.

"I am multitalented. Why does it matter?"

"Well… Why aren't you a professional musician? I feel like you could make more of your life than just teaching a bunch of kids."

"Well… I have a life here. It would unduly inconvenience me if I were to have to move around a lot. Now, let me write out the sheet music for you." Seira said, taking a blank piece of music paper, and jotting down the notes perfectly by memory. Erik seemed very surprised by her ability to recall all that from memory. She waved the paper around for a minute or two to dry the ink, then set it down in front of Erik.

"We will start with the first two lines. See how quickly you can learn them… I expect you to practice at least forty minutes a night… I will know if you are not." Seira said, looking at Erik meaningfully.  
"You're an Empath?"

"Not exactly. But practice. I will play with you for now." Seira said, picking up her mandolin, and plucking a few times.

"One, two, three, start." Seira said. The two then began to play the piece. Seira stopped occasionally, and corrected the young man's posture, or the string he was plucking. By the end of the lesson, he was showing a fair amount of improvement. He still had a ways to go, but he was learning.

"Okay. How much do I owe you?" Erik asked.

"35,000 Won."

"Of course. Here you go." Erik said quietly, digging into his pocket and pulling out his wallet, handing Seira the money. Seira thanked him, and walked to the door with Erik, seeing him out before sitting down on the couch. She would have another appointment in about fifteen minutes, but she could relax until then. She went to the refrigerator, and took out some red wine, pouring a glass and drinking it slowly, savoring the taste and smell.

Shinwoo had bought a bottle of high end red wine. She was sure that he wouldn't mind that she opened it. She rarely drank. Although she knew that she couldn't get drunk, she tended to stay away from alcohol. After about ten minutes, she checked her watch, and finished the glass, cleaning it, before sitting down on the couch. She was going to have another new student in a few minutes. Soon, there was a knock on the door, and Seira stood, walking over and opening it.

"Good afternoon. You must be Ian Garret… Please, come in. I see you brought a saxophone with you. How much experience do you have with the saxophone?" Seira asked. Ian looked to be about fifteen. He was Half-Korean, with long black hair, tied in a ponytail down to the middle of his back, and grey eyes. He had a lean, gangly frame. His arms were uncommonly long, though not unduly so. He had very long fingers, making her think that he would have done well with the piano as well.

"Well… I've been playing for most of my life. I'm seventeen, and I started playing saxophone when I was four in the Isle of Man. I mostly play jazz, but I also play a little bit of classical music. My father was an excellent saxophonist."

"Very well. Excuse me a moment. Please sit down. I need to get a saxophone." Seira said quietly, retreating to the back room.

She happened to have a saxophone back there. It was an instrument that she made on a lark, and just never bothered to reabsorb. She tested it, finding the sound it produced satisfactory, so she brought it out to the sitting room.

"Okay. Now, play your scales first. I need to see just how well you know your basics." Seira said. Ian nodded, running through his scales.

When he finished, Seira nodded.

"Good. Now, what pieces do you know for saxophone?"

"Well, I know Body and Soul, My Foolish Heart, and In a Sentimental Mood by heart. The rest, I would need to at least glance at the sheet music."

"Okay. What is it that you want out of these lessons?"

"Well, Miss Loyard… I may be a good saxophonist, but I would like to get better. There's no such thing as good enough. When one decides that they are good enough, they stop getting better, and that's not acceptable to me.

"I wanted to go to Julliard, but… My family didn't have the money to send me. I've saved up money for years to go on a trip around the world, and well, I met a girl here, and I'm staying. But I don't want to stop learning."

"I understand. Is there a particular direction you want to go with your lessons? Or do you simply want to practice everything?"

"Everything, ma'am."

"Please do not call me ma'am. I prefer to be called Seira."

"Of course, Seira."

"Now, we'll play a few of the songs that you know… It will help me gauge better how to help you."

"Yes, ma'am… I mean, Seira."

For the hour that they were together, they played some Jazz songs, a few Classical pieces, and finally, wrapped it up.

"You did very well, Ian. Your ability goes beyond the basics."

"Thank you. It's 35,000, right?"

"Yes." Seira said. Ian handed her the money, and smiled politely, heading out.

Seira sighed. She wasn't even done for the day. She had a repeat customer coming in a minute or two. Suddenly, Seira jumped, hearing a knock on the door.

"That must be him." She said. She stood and walked to the door, seeing Shinwoo standing there.

"Shinwoo? Why did you knock? You could have just come in." Seira said, already tired from the day. Maybe Yun would cancel. She didn't expect him to, but it might be a welcome break.

She liked the boy, but even with all her power, she was tired.

"Oh, this shaggy haired kid and I ran into each other on our way in, and well, I couldn't resist the urge to play a bit of a practical joke."

"I see. Come in, Yun. Let me see how much you've learned on your own. We haven't met for two weeks. I hope you've been practicing every night?"

"Yes, Seira." Yun said, taking out his guitar, and tuning it, before staring on the song. He played all the way through, though he missed a few chords late in the song. Seira nodded.

"You've gotten much better. We just need to fine tune your playing. Let's go through that song again. I'll stop you if you make a mistake."

"Yes, Miss Seira."

The two went through the song a second time, with Seira correcting him occasionally. He was getting much better, but she wouldn't be satisfied until he could play the whole thing perfectly, or at least she wouldn't be satisfied with herself. She demanded perfection of herself. Why not of others as well?

"Good, good. Play it again."

"Um, Miss Seira… Aren't I doing well enough already?"

"Well enough? I suppose so. But once you label something with the term "good enough", you stop getting better. Do you want to stop getting better?"

"N-no."

"Then keep playing." Seira said sternly. Yun nodded, and went back to his guitar, playing the song again.

At the end of the lesson, Yun had all but learned the song, making only one or two mistakes. Seira still wanted to work with him on perfecting his form. She suspected that he would, in the future, want to learn other songs as well. She was sure she would continue to see him each week.

"Okay, Miss Seira. Here's your money… Oh, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes."

"My sister wanted to know where you got your perfume. She says it smells really pretty."

"Oh… Thank you. Um… I actually make it myself. I could make some for your sister, if she wants me to. I wouldn't suggest she wear more than a spritz of it each day. I see your sister is here, now.

Yun's sister was a young woman of maybe 25 years. She was much older than Yun, but she was still quite young. She had long dark brown hair, almost down to her knees that she kept in a braid. Her hair was much better kept than Yun's, and her eyes were heterochromatic. One eye was hazel and the other was green.

She had oval shaped glasses, and looked much more studious than Yun, though it was impossible to say just from looking at her. Regardless, she always carried a book with her, with a bookmark that looked homemade, and she typically wore a long sleeved white shirt and an ankle length blue skirt. She had introduced herself as Rhee Mina.

"Hello, Rhee-ssi."

"Hello, Miss Seira. Thank you for teaching my brother. He's really excited about the talent show."

"Of course. I will have the perfume ready for you next week, if that's alright."

"Oh! R-really? Wow. How much do I owe you for it?"

"Nothing. I make it from plants that I collect and water."

"O-oh… Wow. Thank you so much. Have a good evening." Seira said quietly, escorting them to the door, and saying goodbye to her last client of the day. After she shut the door, she went over to the refrigerator, and took out the wine, pouring herself another glass.

"I never realized that having a job was so exhausting, Shinwoo. Do you feel this exhausted at the end of your day?" Seira asked, taking a sip of the wine, sighing happily as she allowed the relaxing effect of the alcohol to affect her.

"Every day. Maybe I should have some of that wine as well. Is it good? I bought it because the store clerk said it was good. But I haven't tried it yet. I was gonna save it for a special occasion."

"Oh… Sorry. I didn't realize."

"No, no. It's fine. It needed to be opened, eventually." Shinwoo said, pouring a glass for himself, and taking a deep breath. It smelled good. He took a small sip. It was wonderful. He lowered his regeneration as well, allowing the alcohol to affect him, taking another sip, heading over to the couch, and sitting down next to Yuna, putting on a record.

Lately, he had used biomass to make a record player, and got a number of records that had been in his father's house, and found that he loved the warm sound that records made that seemed to be absent in CDs. His father had a huge collection of records from just about every genre of music, including classical string music. Shinwoo sighed, and put his arm around Seira's shoulder, kissing her gently. He had been planning to find a place to move to.

He had mooched off of Frankenstein's hospitality for long enough. He fully intended to find his own home that he could share with Seira. Maybe he'd move close to where Yuna was. It was only a few kilometers away from where he was living now. It wouldn't take more than a few minutes to get there, even if he ran, though he could easily teleport.

He actually needed to visit Yuna soon to see how her training was going. He wanted to see if she was advancing quickly, and whether she was having trouble controlling her new empathic powers.

"What are you thinking about, Shinwoo?"

"Yuna…" Shinwoo said simply, not bothering to elaborate. Seira's eyes widened, then she scowled.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"If you would prefer to be with her, then go." She said, feeling slightly offended.

"No! That's not what I mean! I meant that I was wondering how she was doing with her new abilities. The Cure Virus did alter her quite significantly. She has empathic powers, now. Those are hard for anyone to control, much less someone who gets them late in life like she did."

"Oh, is that what you meant?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I guess I should have elaborated a bit in the first place."

"No need. I understand." Seira said, laughing quietly. "You should go see her."

"Nah. Linus went just earlier today, and I made him promise that he would collect her most recent data for me. I'm sure she's doing fine. I'll see her over the weekend."

"No. Go. You're the doctor. It is your responsibility to see how your patient is doing. The same is true of Woo Ikhan and Im Suyi. I am slightly curious as well. We have a number of places to visit tonight. We must go."

"You're right." Shinwoo said, pulling on socks and shoes, and waiting for Seira to get ready as well, taking her arm and teleporting to Yuna's general location.

He made sure that he teleported to a quiet area so that he wouldn't make a scene. Unfortunately, one college student saw him. The good thing was that he looked too stoned to really notice.

"Whoa, man! You just appeared with this ultra-hot bitch outta thin air! Are you God!?"

"Yes…" Shinwoo said, knowing what he was doing.

"I am God. You will not tell anyone what you saw… Am I understood?"

"Whoa… Yeah, man! I won't tell a soul… Pfft! AHAHAHAHA! SOUL!"

"What was wrong with that young man? Was he mentally ill?" Seira asked, looking concerned.

"No. He was high… He was smoking Marijuana. He'll be fine if and when he comes down off of it." Shinwoo replied, leading Seira toward Yuna's dorm, going into the building, climbing the stairs to the third floor, and knocking on Yuna's door.

"Just a minute! Did you forget your keys again, Yuna? Can't your hood boyfriend pick the lock?" The girl inside asked. Shinwoo and Seira looked at each other, not saying anything to that.

"Hey, Yu… You're not Yuna!" She said hostilely and rather obviously.

"Um… 'Fraid not." Shinwoo replied. "Well… I'm Shinwoo… One of Yuna's friends. I came to see how she was doing."

"Well… Come in, I guess. Who's the girl with you?"

"My name is Seira J. Loyard. A pleasure to meet you. You must be Yuna's roommate."

Elisabeth's eyes widened for a moment at hearing Seira's name, but she hid her surprise well.

"Wow. You're beautiful, Seira. Movie stars have nothing on you."

"Thank you." Seira said simply. Shinwoo sat down.

"D'you know when Yuna is gonna get back?"

"Not sure. You're not bad looking, either, Shinwoo. Yuna's told me all about you. You've been friends since elementary school, huh?"

"Yeah. I certainly hope she hasn't told you everything… That would make this a little embarrassing." Shinwoo said, keeping his statement vague.

"You mean about confessing to her in middle school? I've heard weirder stories than that. Anyway, I heard that you're a professional martial artist. How many forms do you know?"

"Well… Could I ask your name first? You seem to know mine. It's embarrassing that I don't know yours."

"Elisabeth. I'm from Milan, Italy, in case you were wondering. Yuna is helping me become fluent in Korean, though I feel that I still have a long way to go. So, your martial arts styles."

"Well, for the most part, I use a blend of Hapkido and Taekwondo. But I know a little bit of everything: Kendo, Karate, Capoeira, Krav Maga, Parkour, Baguazhang, Xingyiquan, Tai Chi, Krav Maga, and a number of others. But my school teaches Hapkido and Taekwondo.

"Some of my more advanced students are learning to blend the two like I learned."

"Incredible. How old are you, Shinwoo? You don't look any older than Yuna-sempai… Sorry, Yuna. She keeps telling me not to call her sempai."

"I'm eighteen. But I've been teaching myself martial arts all my life… It's about the only thing I'm good at."

"I doubt that somehow. Anyway, you're just here to see Yuna? She's out with that hoodlum boyfriend of hers. A straight arrow like you wouldn't have stood a chance with her, Shinwoo."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call Linus a hoodlum. He may look a little unorthodox, but he's got a steady job, and a home, and a paycheck. He's not a criminal… And he's a friend of ours."

"Huh… A modi… I mean, a person like him is friends with you, Seira? How different you are from what my family remembers."

"Indeed. I have always wanted to go to Italy. I hear it is beautiful."

"Oh, it is. I suppose it doesn't impress me much anymore. I've seen most of Europe in my life. Maybe you should get Shinwoo to take you sometime."

"I totally want to." Shinwoo said. "Eventually, I'll set up a trip around the world. There are a lot of places that I want to see."

"Hmm. That's not terribly reassuring. Eventually? Yuna-senpai… Sorry, Yuna… Tells me you two are engaged. And she tells me that you're a pretty special individual, Shinwoo… But I'm just not seeing it."

"Lisa! Are you harassing my friends?" Yuna demanded, walking into the room. Elisabeth laughed.

"No, no. Ah, you're still here, Linus? This room is getting too crowded for my taste."

"We'll leave. I just need to talk to Yuna for a moment. Could you excuse us for a moment, Elisabeth?" Shinwoo asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Kicked out of my own damn room." She grumbled, storming out. Yuna giggled at this, though Linus seemed at a loss to explain Elisabeth's behavior, and Seira seemed just as lost.

"Yuna. I know I haven't been following your progress as closely as I should lately. I've… Been busy fine tuning some new inventions. I'm not ready to tell you what they are yet. I haven't even told Seira, yet. But do you have your journal entries?"

"Yes. I was wondering when you'd come to get them." Yuna said cheerfully, going to the drawer, and taking out several pages of paper and handing them to Shinwoo, who flipped through them, nodding, seeming impressed.

"This is good… Damn… This is… This is very good. You've been running every day?"

"Yes."

"How far can you run?" Shinwoo asked, making sure that what she wrote coincided with her actual progress.

"10.5 kilometers. I've been doing 200 pushups, 300 sit-ups, and 250 squats every day as well."

"Good, good. How are your mental exercises going?"

"Great. I'm top of the class… For whatever that means. It's only the second week of classes."

"Good… Yuna… Your progress is quite impressive. There's not much I can say. Have you been going Freerunning at all?"

"Most nights I do. Some nights, I take a break from it. But I like Freerunning. It's liberating. There's even a club that gets together once a week and we go running as a group."

"Great, great. How is your psychic empathy coming along?"

"Wonderfully. I meditate every night, and for the most part, my empathy is under control. Occasionally, when people are having particularly strong or negative thoughts, I lose control.

"That's not unexpected, though, is it?"

"No. Anything else to report?" Shinwoo asked.

"I think I'm becoming an HSP… Is that common for empaths?"

"The two aren't causatively linked, but there's often a correlation. The two abilities are somewhat similar, and the ability to feel others' emotions as your own often leads to being highly sensitive."

"I see. Colors seem brighter, sounds seem more pronounced, and I can hear people talking from several rooms away. I need to wear earplugs at night in order to sleep. I can discern each of the individual spices in the food I eat."

"That's within the projected enhancement of your senses. You'll get used to it."

"Have you seen Ikhan yet?"

"Yes. I plan to do a follow-up tomorrow. You guys are my patients, after all. I need to visit Tao, Takeo, and Yuizi. Linus, I can visit when I'm with you. Speaking of which, Linus, how are you feeling? Anything new to report?"

"Nothing much. Muzaka says that my synchronization with my Werewolf heart is going faster than ever. He says that he wouldn't be able to tell that I wasn't a Werewolf if he didn't know already."

"Mm… Good, good. Your physical and mental abilities?" Shinwoo asked, writing this down on a paper pad that he had brought with him.

"Stronger than ever. I find my mind racing, sometimes. Maybe that's a result of my mental enhancement?"

"It might be. Try meditation. It always works to calm me down. Furthermore, if you do battle with a telepath, and you can't actively block their telepathy, thinking about a fixed object… Try the ocean, you can at least delay them and tire them out. I suspect that you should be able to resist most telepaths, though."

"This is the first time I've ever truly been happy that I have this power.

"It's not something I asked for, but I'm happier than ever." Linus said. Shinwoo nodded.

"Good, good. Now, I hate to be rude, but I need to get to Japan. It's 6:00. I'll try to see you both again soon." Shinwoo said, taking Seira's hand and going out the door, hurrying to a private location, and teleporting away.

"Excuse me… Do you happen to know a Woo Ikhan?" Shinwoo asked in perfect Japanese. The Japanese girl's eyes lit up, and she nodded.

"Hai! I have computer science class with him."

"Great. Do you know where his dorm is?" Shinwoo asked. The girl nodded, taking Seira and Shinwoo to the dorms, and leading them up to Ikhan's door. Shinwoo thanked her, and knocked, waiting for Ikhan. His roommate came to the door, though.

"Hello…" The roommate said, bowing politely. "You must be Han Shinwoo… Please, come in. Ikhan isn't in at the moment, but he should be back soon." He said,

"Do you know where he is?" Shinwoo asked. The roommate thought for a moment.

"Well… He said he was going to play football* with some friends… But he never seemed terribly athletic, so I'm not sure where he's going."

"I've known him for years. He's more athletic than he looks. Ah, sounds like he's coming back, now." Shinwoo said. The roommate looked around. A few seconds later, the lock on the door clicked, and Ikhan walked in.  
"Hey! Shinwoo! Seira! Good to see you guys!"

"Hey, Ikhan, didn't you say that Shinwoo and Seira were Korean? How did they even get to Japan on such short notice?"

"They have their ways of getting places, Kenta. It's not something that I can talk about."

"Okay. I'll head out and let you guys catch up." Kenta said politely, bowing to Shinwoo and Seira and heading out.

"Hey, Ikhan… Thanks for not expounding on my abilities. How are your abilities coming? Are you keeping up with your exercises?"

"Yes. I'm doing about 100 sit-ups, 100 pushups and 100 squats a day. I typically run about 5 kilometers. Not as much as I should be running, but I play football with some friends most days. I've enrolled in a karate class as well."

"Any unique abilities that you're experiencing?"

"None. I'm getting really flexible. Even my bones seem to be more flexible than usual. The other day, I kicked hard in the shin, and I felt my bone rippling rather than breaking. The karate master said that by all rights, my leg should be broken. But I got an X-ray and it was just cracked slightly. The next day, I had no pain in it at all, and I think it was completely healed."

"The healing is normal. The flexibility in your bones may be a unique ability, or it may be a slight mutation of the virus within your body. I didn't have time to fully test the mutation pattern of the virus, so it may display unique mutations that I wasn't able to fully experiment with. How are your senses?"

"I'm starting to see sounds, synesthesia."

"That's not completely outside of normal projections. The enhancement of your senses may be triggering a slight confusion of the senses in the neuropathways. And your mental abilities?"

"They're still increasing… Much faster than my physical abilities. I've projected that my IQ has increased to between 357 and 428."

"Impressive. Wow, that's… Really impressive. Way outside my projections. I projected that the virus would increase IQ to approximately maximum human intelligence. The fact that you're so far ahead in that area indicates that perhaps the virus scanned your abilities and sacrificed physical enhancement in favor of mental enhancement. I suspect, based on your physical abilities, now, that you're still being enhanced physically, but that your mental strength is favored over physical.

"How are your classes going?"

"They're not really telling me anything that I don't know already. I've read all the books that I bought for my classes already, and I'm beginning to create a new computer program that can sneak into Union archives through the most miniscule cracks in their security. I've created a system within the program that cross-references abilities to locate modified humans and research their weaknesses.

"I'm also in the process of creating a program that scans the body and isolates individual molecules and alleles that are responsible for different abilities. So if I isolated and enhanced one allele, it would result in superhuman strength, another would result in superhuman intelligence, etcetera. When I'm done, I'll give you a copy of the program and you can give it to Frankenstein. I'm sure that he of all people could use it."

"Thanks. Have you been taking notes on your progress?" Shinwoo asked. Ikhan nodded, going to his laptop and printing out approximately fifteen pages of size 8 font, single spaced. Shinwoo looked over them briefly, then put them in a folder.

"Thank you. I look forward to going over them in more detail. Keep up with your exercises, and continue to increase your intellect and your abilities."

"I don't know if it works like that. Generally, you can't increase your intelligence. IQ is such an arbitrary indicator of intelligence that it can be used to explain everything but also nothing. IQ is really more indicative of the application of knowledge than intelligence itself."

"I know. I don't know if this virus works that way, either. I didn't really have enough time to fully test it before the party. I would have liked to have had at least a year to run full diagnostics on it.

"But, in the absence of such time, I chose to make sure that the virus wasn't dangerous, and that it didn't have any bad side effects. I tested it on laboratory humans that I created, though naturally, it would have been better to test it on real humans. The laboratory humans were sterile, for lack of a better term. They had no outside experience or contact to give them real world experience that would make sure that the virus worked on real people.

"However, I can see that as far as being safe, the virus succeeded at that. Are you experiencing any detrimental side effects? Twitches? Pains? Hallucinations or other mental or physical side effects that you are aware of?"

"I'm hearing people talking… All the time… It sounds like they're far away. But if I put earplugs in, the talking stops.

"I suspect that I'm just hearing people talking from a few rooms away. My enhanced hearing would allow me to do that, right?"

"Absolutely. Yuna is having the same issues. She wears earplugs at night so she can sleep, and she's meditating to control her empathy. I haven't seen Suyi yet. I really should try to talk to her tonight, but I understand that she'll be in town for a few more days."

"Good. How are Tao-oppa and Takeo doing? And Yuizi and Linus?"

"They're doing well… As far as I know. I saw Linus just a little while ago. Tao, Takeo, and Yuizi, I haven't seen recently, and the Noblesse and the Lord… Well… I can't imagine they're doing badly. Last I saw, they seemed happier than ever."

"And Muzaka and Garda?"

"I built their home for them recently. They're doing really well. Have you set up that medical test that you wanted to do?"

"Actually, I'm planning a number of tests.

"One for some new drugs that I've created… Cures for various disease, mainly viruses, but a few antibiotic bacterial strains such as Mersa, an antibacterial resistant strain of Staph, a drug that should cure antibacterial resistant Tuberculosis, and a few others. I need to test them on healthy people first to judge the side effects completely independent of the cure. All of the simulated trials have been 99.9999% effective."

"What about the other 0.0001%? Ikhan asked. Shinwoo snapped.

"Margin of error. Every test has one. It's statistically insignificant. In a test group of a million individuals, 1 would be resistant, or would react badly to it. The odds are astronomical that anyone would die. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mild fever of about 37.5oC to maybe 37.73oC (99.5oF-99.914oF), never over 37.7778oC (100oF).

"In all but three simulated cases, of which I did approximately fifteen billion, it was successful, and not only cured the disease, but immunized them against future infection."

"Shinwoo… Are you sure this is ethical? You know, some of your more recent projects have been dubious in terms of ethics. Your Cure Virus, these inoculations. You haven't done any human trials with them, and thus, you haven't had any real world data from them."

"You're right. But these are important breakthroughs. I was given power. Whether I wanted it or not, it's my obligation to use it for the betterment of others. There's no evidence whatsoever that these cures are any more dangerous than a vaccination. The only difference is that these are meant to give permanent immunity. I've done many tests on the subject, mainly virtual tests, but tests that recreate virtually identical situations to real life."

"Well, if you're sure. Anyway, here are my notes. I've started taking martial arts."

"Really? Which martial art?" Shinwoo asked. Ikhan looked at him.

"Aikido. I believe that it would be perfect for one of my… Small size. It can be used by those who aren't very strong, and those who are elderly."

"Good… You're progressing quickly. I don't think I have any advice for you. Other than your unusually flexible bones, are there any unusual abilities that you can detect?"

"I'm tasting and smelling sounds. Usually Ideasthesia only affects two senses, but I'm smelling the sound and tasting it. It's a bit disconcerting."  
"The senses of taste and smell are closely linked, since the nasal passage goes into the roof of the mouth.

"It's not completely outside my expectations that you might be experiencing both. Your senses are drastically enhanced, and as a result, the confusion of them is also enhanced. I suggest meditation and listening to different kinds of music to learn what kinds of music taste and smell like what, and writing it down, and doing the same with people's voices, and tones of voice.

"I expect extensive notes on your Synesthesia when next I see you. Okay?"

"Of course. How is your martial arts school doing?"

"Great. I've got a ton of students already. People flocked to it when they heard that _the_ Shinwoo owned it. Can't imagine why. I never got any official training."

"Right. Well… And your weapons business?" Ikhan asked. Shinwoo laughed.

"Well, just as well as ever. People always want weapons. Whether for martial arts schools, for collectors, or for those actually skilled with the weapon, I always have orders. I had to increase the number of clones. I have sixteen clones, making seventeen of me.

"I had to create a second altered time room and put eight in one and eight in the other, and accelerate the rate of time in each. Now, one hour outside equals one day in the room. So, each one can make approximately 1,000 weapons in an in-room hour, meaning 12,000 weapons in an out of room hour. The math on it is tedious for me, so I'll stop, now."

"Good. The math would even give me a headache. Seira, how is your business doing?"

"It is going quite well. I have a number of loyal clients, most of whom have set weekly appointments. I may need to begin making clones of myself so that I can teach more than one student in the half-hour or one hour lesson that I make. It would not be ideal, but as Shinwoo realized before, it may become necessary. Seira sighed.

"Well, we have to get going, Ikhan. It was good seeing you again, Shinwoo said, walking out of the room with Seira, and heading to an abandoned classroom, closing the door, and closing the blinds, on the door and windows, and teleporting away.

*As I'm sure all of you know, every country in the world other than the USA calls Soccer Football, and Football American Football. Why, I'll never understand, but such is life, I suppose.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"Ignes Kravei…"

"Yes, First Elder? How may I help you?" Ignes asked, smiling cheerfully. She had never been addressed directly by the First Elder before, and though she was slightly concerned that he would be angry at her for her incautious experiments, it was slightly exciting.

"I wish to offer you a proposition.

"Honestly, I've had my eye on you for some time. You're the last Noble in the Union, and your ability with human modification makes you a perfect candidate for this little project. I'd like to make you a contractor of mine. It's entirely up to you, but I would appreciate it if you would say yes."

"I would be delighted to, First Elder. May I ask what exactly that entails?"

"It… Merely requires that you accept further modification… In a sense. I can assure you that the modification will be performed by me. You will be in no danger. In fact, the pill that I will ask you to take will make sure that there are no ill effects. Fear not, it's merely a catalyst to ensure maximum compatibility with the modifications. It will put you to sleep for approximately twelve hours.

"When you wake up, your modifications will be complete. Please meet me in the laboratory in thirty minutes. I am eager to begin. There will be two others in the laboratory. You may recognize them. If you do, please be cordial with them. I am familiar with your adversarial personality. This does not bother me, but I would appreciate it if you would attempt to be on good terms with the other two."

"Of course, First Elder! I look forward to meeting them. I will see you in half an hour."

Ignes immediately signed off, and hurried toward the laboratory where Tesamu said to meet him, and sat down, waiting for about ten minutes before another woman joined them. Ignes recognized her as a modified Werewolf, and an Elder.

"If my memory serves, your name is Hecate… You're a high ranking Werewolf amongst the Clan."

Ignes said this as she walked in, and saw the woman, a gorgeous young looking woman of medium stature, maybe 162 cm, or about 5'3", with long stark white hair that went down almost past her knees and was restrained in a ponytail. She had a sharp look in her crystal blue eyes, and Ignes was sure that if she transformed, she would be just as gorgeous in her wolf form. She seemed like she would be a fearsome opponent, assuming that Ignes even stood a chance.

"Yes. And you're the Kravei Clan Leader… A pleasure to meet you."

"You're a very powerful Werewolf. As I remember, you're almost as ancient as the former Second Elder, and you were acquainted with the former Werewolf Lord, Muzaka. It's a shame he escaped. I could have continued experimenting on him for a long, long time. He just kept healing!"

"Uh huh. I was actually against the Second Elder's idea for experimenting on our own People. But, I know you had his permission, so I don't hold anything against you. You're more beautiful than I expected. You seem stronger, more powerful than your relatively young age would suggest as well."

"Yes, well… I've had extensive modifications done on me, and I now possess the Kravei Clan soul weapon. I'm not sure what the First Elder has in mind, but it should be interesting."

"Yes, it should. An honor to meet you. A Bimillennial Werewolf. I never expected that I would be able to meet you in person."

"I'll be 2,000 years old in a week. And Ignes, you must be about 520, right?" Hecate asked.

"About twice that. I'm older than the current clan leaders, and am much more powerful than they are. And you? What's your name?" Ignes asked politely, her eyebrow twitching when Hecate guessed that she was only 520.

The man that had just walked in, a tall man, about 195 cm, or about 6'5". He had messy blonde hair that seemed to defy any attempts to tame it, and piercing green eyes and fair skin. He looked like he was European. The energy that he gave off made him seem like an Elder.

"May I ask your name?" Hecate asked. The elder nodded.

"My name is Melchior Aloisi. I am the Sixth Elder. It's a pleasure to meet both of you. If I'm correct, you're the Thirteenth Elder, Hecate-nim, and you're the Fourth Elder, Ignes-nim…"

"You're quite well informed, Melchior-nim…" Ignes said with a giggle. Melchior nodded.

"Well… When you take the place of your father, after he died so suddenly, it's bound to be known. There are those who don't believe you're fit to be an Elder.

"They see your past indiscretions and bouts of sudden and unprovoked violence as signs of mental instability, and question whether you can lead the Union to further greatness when, in their minds, you have trouble even resisting your own baser urges."

"Is that so?" Ignes asked, smiling dangerously, her eyes narrowed to slits, her smile showing not even a hint of humor. Melchior nodded.

"And what is your opinion, Sixth Elder-nim?"

"Truth be told, I haven't decided yet. I don't know you well enough, and having only heard the stories of your… Indiscretions… Secondhand, I don't feel it's my place to pass judgment on them. You have yet to show me that you don't deserve my trust, or that you do deserve my contempt."

"Thank you. You seem fair minded, so you should know that everyone that I hurt or killed deserved it. My attacks were not unprovoked. They provoked me, and earned their deaths."

"I see. Well, First Elder-nim will be here any minute. I passed him on the way in, so I guess we should begin to get ready."

"It's interesting", Ignes said, "that he has chosen a member of each group that represents the Union, a Noble, a Werewolf, and a Modified Human, to be his contractors… And it seems we're all Elders. I'm curious as to what his plans are."

"You know what they say about curiosity, Ignes-nim."

"No. What do they say about curiosity?" Ignes asked.

"That it killed the cat." Hecate said with a laugh. "You've really never heard that saying?"

"No. I'm afraid that human euphemisms were never my area of study. They never caught my interest. I'm more scientifically oriented than linguistically oriented. I've certainly learned Latin and Greek as the languages of science. But euphemisms don't offer much benefit to me."

"Well… No matter. If you three would go and put on your gowns and lie down, then take this pill. As I said, it will knock you out for twelve hours, and then will react with the modifications, maximizing their efficacy. It's likely that you will become as much as 150% more powerful. I look forward to seeing the effects of my experiments. There are changing rooms over there. You may change there." Tesamu said, pointing to the far right wall.

The three each grabbed a hospital gown and went into the individual changing rooms, coming out a moment or two later, and taking the pill with their name on it, and taking them, and lying down on the examination table. Soon, drowsiness overcame them, and they fell asleep. Tesamu smiled, and removed their gowns. The women were quite beautiful, but that wasn't his objective at the moment. He took a scalpel, and called another scientist in.

Immediately, Doctor Crombel walked in, striding proudly and deliberately.

"It is an honor to be working with you, First Elder. What is it that you need of me, sir?"

"Merely your assistance in the enhancements. I'm aware that you're somewhat familiar with enhancing humans that have been enhanced already."

"To an extent, sir… But not nearly as much with full Werewolves and Nobles. I will do my best, though."

"I'm sure you will. The modifications are not the primary objective of this. The modifications began the moment they swallowed those pills. The modifications we're doing are merely to maximize the results of said modifications."

"I see… Drug enhanced powers are really more Aris-nim's area of expertise, not mine."

"I have every confidence in you. If you would hand me those scalpels, we can begin. If you'll be so good as to hold still for a moment, I'll gladly fill you in completely." Tesamu said, focusing his energy, and putting his thumb and forefinger on Crombel's forehead. Crombel gasped as the information flooded his mind. His eyes went wide, staggering back and sitting down, getting over his dizziness.

"I'm floored, First Elder-nim. This information is beyond anything I could have imagined."

"Please, call me Tesamu. Now, go over to Hecate, and begin typing in the commands to the modification machinery. Remember mechanism W-15-1.5-3. Type in the commands from line 1 to line 10."

"Yes, sir." Crombel said, walking over to the computer and sitting down, beginning to type rapidly, finishing the commands in a second or two.

"Good. Now, go into the same computer, and type in MH-12-2.7.3-9.8 lines 1 through 15."

"Yes, sir." Crombel said, typing in the new commands.

"Good. Now, the computer will do most of the work, but we'll have to monitor them, and type in commands occasionally to update the machines on the direction of the modifications. Strength, Intelligence, Speed, Endurance and Stamina, further enhanced senses and their bones will be laced with a biometal I'm calling Qo'ostrodium.

"I've studied their individual abilities and added individual modifications to suit them. Melchior-nim, I was considering retractable serrated claws. Ignes-nim, I believe that superior enhanced intelligence and pyrokinetic abilities would serve her well, along with her already high intellect and fiery personality. Hecate is a trained, disciplined warrior. She never quite agreed with the Second Elder's policy of experimenting on the weaker members of his race.

"I believe that enhanced physical and mental abilities will suit her well along with a certain level of spatial manipulation, as well as enhanced stealth. Naturally, she would be able to manipulate the amount of space between her and her opponents, and, if used judiciously, as I'm sure she'll be able to do, she can easily stay on top of her opponent the entire fight."

"Of course, sir. Out of curiosity, was it necessary to strip them?"

"Yes. The machine is going to inject things in various places in their bodies, mainly nanomachines, and of course, the Qo'ostrodium injected into their bones, and of course a mutagen aimed directly at certain key chromosomes to enhance certain abilities, namely, their regeneration, physical abilities and mental abilities."

"I see. How fascinating. I've never heard of biometal before. Even in all my years with the Union, and I have been here a long time, I have never heard of such a metal as Qo'ostrodium."

"It's a metal that I created myself, a mixture of biological material, molecularly restructured so as to be incalculably dense and strong. When it attaches to the bones of a subject, it alters their physiology on the genetic level so that they produce it naturally.

"When this experiment is over, their regeneration will be enhanced not only by the pill and the experiment, but by the fact that they now have a foreign substance in their body, forcing them to constantly regenerate. This will cause slight discomfort at first. But soon, their regeneration will cease to recognize it as foreign as their altered DNA stabilizes, and their new regenerative level stabilizes as well.

"Until then, it is not advised that they enter battle with any powerful opponents, lest their bodies are unduly tested. I will keep them in the lab for a week and run tests on them, testing their new abilities. When I'm comfortable that they are stable, they can go on their own."

"If I may be so bold, First Elder-nim, may I have a sample of this biometal?"

"Of course. I doubt you will be able to produce more of it. But if you manage, please tell me, and I will give you something that will make it worth every minute you spent working on it." Tesamu said politely, handing a vial of a silvery substance to Crombel, who put it in his pocket, and input some more commands into the computer as he was instructed by Tesamu.

The day went on like this, with the two scientists monitoring the subjects' stats, and modifying the commands based on even the most minute changes in them. Tesamu seemed relatively pleased with the results when the day was out, and the machines indicated that the modifications were complete.

"The subjects will wake up within the hour, and be fully alert. You may stay if you wish, Ninth Elder-nim, but you do not need to."

"I believe I will stay until they awaken, just to see that my assistance did not cause any problems. I wouldn't like to think that three Elders of the Union were unduly harmed because of my involvement."

"I'm certain that you did quite well… Ah, Hecate-nim is waking up right now. Good evening, Thirteenth Elder-nim. Please stand up slowly so as to avert any vertigo.

"By this point, your modifications should be nearing stabilization. However, I intend to keep you in my laboratory for a week to monitor your progress. I have injected your bones themselves with a highly dense and strong biometal called Qo'ostrodium. So you may be feeling heavy. I don't suggest you undertake any rigorous exercise until we are certain of the complete success of the experiments. Light to moderate exercise should be plenty to get you back to feeling your normal self for now."

"I see. I feel like what I classify as light to moderate exercise and what you and the Ninth Elder would classify as such are very different things. Perhaps you could enlighten me?"

"Well, Thirteenth Elder, I would not advise that you jump off any buildings, get into battles with extraordinarily powerful opponents, lift more than five times your body weight, or go mountain climbing. But other than that, very few things are off-limits to a Werewolf of your caliber.

"My only real request is that you don't get into battles where you could be severely injured until your regenerative healing factor completely stabilizes. For the most part, Elders have little to worry about on that front, but, of late, as you well know, we've had issues, particularly in Korea with an old mentor of mine and his wards. So, really, just use your common sense. Don't do anything that you wouldn't do immediately following extensive surgery."

"Of course, First Elder. What is this biometal, Qo'ostrodium? I've never heard of it."

"Well, it's a metal created by restructuring the molecules of other elements in ways they normally would not be able to be restructured, in order to make the metal impossibly dense and strong. In other words, save for a catastrophic impact, your bones are highly unlikely if not nearly impossible to break. I could take a sledgehammer to your arm, and the hammer would break before your bone did.

"I doubt that it would be a pleasant experience for you, but your bones would not and in most cases, cannot be broken. Have you heard of Wolverine?"

"The animal?"

"No. The mutant from Marvel Comics. His skeleton is laced with Adamantium, the strongest metal in existence. Very few things can break his bones.

"There are a number of things that individuals have used to break his bones or hurt him severely. But the Adamantium being coated on his bones has altered his DNA to an extent, and has caused his body to produce Adamantium of its own.

"Now, for a while, you'll be feeling extremely uncomfortable. This is the result of your body rejecting the Qo'ostrodium. Since it's molecularly bonded to your skeleton, your body won't be able to push it out, but you may experience rashes, dizziness upon standing, headaches, fever, and shortness of breath as well as nausea, a burning sensation inside your body, and a few other unpleasant symptoms.

"This is just an allergic reaction to the metal. It should go away as your body acclimates to the changes it is undergoing, and your regeneration fully stabilizes and begins to recognize the biometal as part of your body, and not a foreign substance. If these symptoms persist for more than a week, please contact me at your earliest convenience, as it may be a sign of something more serious.

"For a Werewolf with your level of regeneration, it should be gone within the week, though. For the two of you just waking up, did you hear what I said to Hecate-nim?" Tesamu asked. Ignes nodded, as did Melchior.

"Good. I suggest you follow the same guidelines that I gave her. Your powers should be enhanced on a fairly equal level to Hecate-nim's.

"Please read the pamphlets that I have put together on your new powers. Memorize them if you can. That way, you needn't waste time in battle trying to remember your powers, you will just know that you have them. Melchior-nim, clench your fists, and focus on the bones in your forearm. There will be a slight pinch, as… Yes, as that happens.

"Those are bone claws… Again, similar to Wolverine's although not exactly the same as they do not extend out from your forearm, per se. They are more akin to extra bones in your hand that can fold in and out at will. Your regeneration will deal with any bleeding that happens as a result. Now, Hecate, in addition to your enhanced bodily abilities, I have given you a certain level of spatial manipulation. Focus on Doctor Crombel, and imagine that he is standing closer to you.

"Focus on how close, I suggest fifteen meters closer for now. Good, good. You are essentially able to fold a certain amount of space between you and another person or object. It's not the same as summoning the object to you, but it serves essentially the same purpose. Ignes, I've enhanced your intelligence drastically, and given you pyrokinetic abilities. They will tend to flare up or diminish with your passion, so I suggest you learn to control your temper better, lest you destroy an entire base with your anger.

"Perhaps in retrospect, giving you that power was not the best idea. However, you have it now, and I won't take it back. Each of you has also been given Body Supremacy, or the ability to completely control the function and movement of your body to almost unparalleled levels. This ability gives you many abilities similar to my own, but they only function internally. You won't be able to focus the abilities outwards. I suggest you practice and test the limits of your new powers.

"I'm giving you a week of rest so that I can monitor your new abilities and conditions. After that, I suspect I will need you at full capacity for a project I'm undertaking shortly. I will allow you a week of rest, then I request that you begin practicing both individually and as a team with your powers to master them both on your own, and together. Thank you." Tesamu said, turning and walking out of the room.

"First Elder… May I go so that I may study this biometal?" Crombel asked. Tesamu nodded.

"Of course, Ninth Elder. Please contact me if and when you manage to synthesize Qo'ostrodium."

"Of course, First Elder. You'll be the first to know… If I may be so bold, how is it that you synthesized it? It might help me manage to synthesize it myself."

"It has to do with my powers. But, I can't tell you more than that."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"Hmm… Fascinating. The molecular structure of this metal is unlike anything I've ever seen. Yes, there's Carbon in it, but also an element I've never seen before. It seems to defy absolute classification. It moves like a liquid, but is structured like a solid, and seems to be naturally ionized like plasma, but seems without heat. In fact, it seems to be absorbing heat to a degree, creating an endothermic reaction. What could these bizarre physical reactions indicate?

"Perhaps this metal is from another planet, or even a different universe, where the rules of physics are very different from ours… No, because it possesses Carbon, and trace amounts of certain other biological elements such as hydrogen and oxygen, even.

"These elements, I suspect are byproducts of the unusual reactions being created by the metal, if it can really be called that. This merits further study, but right now, I must… No, learning all that I can about this element is far more important." Crombel said out loud. He continued his experiments, putting the container of metal over a Bunsen burner, and watching as it slowly heated up and boiled.

"Excuse us, Han Shinwoo?"

"Shinwoo? I'm not sure who that is. My name is Mathis Park. It's a pleasure to meet a lovely young woman such as yourself, though…" Shinwoo said, staying true to his pseudonym, adjusting his glasses to get a better look at the two people in suits approaching him.

"How can I help you?" Shinwoo asked. The woman rolled her eyes.

"I got information on your location from Principal Lee. You can't deceive me, Han Shinwoo."

"Fine. I was about to go to a science convention, but I guess the KSA takes precedence, doesn't it? What can I do for you, Yonsu, Sangeen?" Shinwoo asked, standing up straighter.

"We want your assistance in advancing the KSA's human modification technology."

"Why don't you just ask Frankenstein?" Shinwoo asked. He was sure that he already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from them. The two agents looked at each other uncomfortably. An Sangeen, the more diplomatic of the two of them spoke first.

"He's otherwise occupied at the moment. His ability to assist us is hampered by his job as the principal of a school and as a landlord."

"You're lying." Shinwoo said, his brow furrowing. "He refused to help you because he didn't want his technology or his knowledge being put to evil uses."

"We are _not_ evil! The Union is evil! North Korea is evil! Many people are evil! We're just doing our job! We were sent here by our boss to request assistance in advancing our knowledge of human modification!"

"I did not say you were evil. But power tends to corrupt, and I'm sure Frankenstein would refuse to have any part of such corruption. He has firsthand experience of the megalomania that such power can bring. It's not my story to tell, but as I understand, it explains quite fully why he wouldn't wish his knowledge used by anyone but him."

"But…"

"Enough, Yonsu… Han Shinwoo… We do not wish to have an antagonistic relationship with you. However, we also require the knowledge that you possess. Our use for it would strictly be for further enhancing ourselves and other agents in order to more efficiently combat the Union when and if they attempt further action in Korea."

"I see. Well, I will not give you my knowledge. However, I will lend you my expertise on a case-by-case basis." Shinwoo said quietly. An Sangeen nodded.

"That sounds reasonable. How much is this going to cost the KSA? We've been given some liberty to negotiate on their behalf."

"Good. Is there a place we can negotiate in private on how much the safety of your country is worth to you?" Shinwoo asked with a smirk. Yonsu blanched at his blasé attitude.

"Don't worry, Nuna. I'm joking. I'm not going to gouge for my services." Yonsu scowled. She didn't feel like she was close to old enough to be called 'Nuna', especially by someone she barely knew.

"Of course. Perhaps we could go to the park?" Sangeen asked.

"Sure." Shinwoo said, following the two agents to the park, where they sat down in an isolated area on a bench, and began talking.

"Actually, this area is isolated for a reason. It wasn't isolated at all about a year ago when I started tapping trees for biomass.

"Now, about 90% of the trees in this area are imbued with my biomass, causing them to produce more mass for me to use daily. As a side effect, though, they release pheromones that tend to repel people. They tend to not want to be in this area."

"I see. Perhaps you could turn a member of the KSA into a Biouser?" An Sangeen asked politely. Shinwoo shook his head vigorously, though.

"Nuh uh, no way. The Blacklight Virus is 99.99% lethal. Even for Enhanced Humans such as yourselves, it's likely fairly lethal. I… Have tested the Blacklight Virus on only a single Noble, not large enough for a test group. I wouldn't risk the lives of those protecting our country by using a lethal virus.

"However… Take these pills. Your scientist can study them all he wants, but I doubt he'll find anything in them. They're pure pre-programmed biomass. They enhance both physical and mental attributes. They may also enhance one's aura. I'm aware you use your aura to enhance your already strong attacks. Take one once a week for four weeks, and your abilities will be vastly enhanced, or one pill once for moderate enhancement.

"Don't take more than one per week, or your abilities will enhance faster than your ability to accommodate them." Shinwoo lied… Well, it wasn't a complete lie. The original pills would behave like that. "I tested the pills on the Enhanced Humans in Frankenstein's house. They took one every other day.

"While in virtual testing, there were no issues with 99.959% of the experiments, in real life taking pills daily would result in severe backlash since the body couldn't accommodate the enhancements as fast as they were being heaped on. Thus, I made a slow release pill. The pill activates as soon as it's ingested, and releases over a full seven day week, after which you can take another one.

"However, it begins to decrease in effectiveness if taken for more than four weeks, and after six weeks, it becomes just biomass being deposited into your body."

"Wait… Are you… Giving us steroids?" Yonsu demanded angrily. Shinwoo laughed at this.

"No, no! They are not drug based. They're simple programmed biomass pills. Here. Take a bottle of them and have your scientist examine them.

"It really is just biomass programmed to enhance physical, mental and spiritual abilities. The pills also have the ability to analyze physical, mental, spiritual, and style abilities in the user, and will allot their biomass accordingly."

"These seem impressive. How much do you want for a single pill?"

"You wish to analyze it before you buy it from me. I understand. I'll sell it to you for 60,000 Won."

"60,000 Won?" An Sangeen asked, thinking that was a remarkably low price, especially for a pill the likes of which had never been seen before on the market.

"That seems reasonable. Tell me, Doctor Park, will the enhancements be grossly recognizable to the naked eye?" An Sangeen asked. Yonsu had been thinking the same thing. A pill that would enhance a person physically as drastically as Shinwoo was indicating seemed like it would be very noticeable as such. Shinwoo shook his head, though.

"No. It makes muscles and indeed, bones as well, denser, not bulkier. You'll still retain your feminine physique, young lady…" Shinwoo said, laughing slightly at how old he had sounded just then. Yonsu couldn't deny that he was really getting into his persona.

"I see. Would that not slow the user down? Muscles that dense would make the user less able to use their reflexes, no?" Sangeen asked, going over all the issues he could potentially think of.

"That's a non-issue. Reflexes and all physical abilities are honed to peak human levels by the second pill at the latest, and mental abilities should be honed to peak human levels by the second pill… That is, of course, assuming that you're not already beyond peak human level. Actually, here's a pamphlet on the ins and outs of the pills. You really should read it thoroughly before you take the pill. Thank you." Shinwoo said, taking the money and putting it in his pocket.

"Make sure that you do not disappoint us with this pill, _Mathis Park_ …" Na Yonsu said intensely, thinking that being able to buy such a fantastic pill so cheap seemed way too good to be true.

"If you screw us on this, we can destroy you!"

"Na Yonsu… There's no need to threaten him. The modified humans have assured us that he's one of the most honest people they know. Thank you, Park-ssi."

"Have a good day." Shinwoo said with a smile. The two agents walked away, An Sangeen putting the plastic bag with the pill in his pocket.

"Hmm… This is a very interesting pill… On the surface, it looks like simple biological material… But underneath, something very interesting is going on bioelectrically and biomagnetically… It's almost like the pill is a miniature bar code, but it's more complex than any barcode I've ever seen in my life. I would very much like to meet the person who made this… You said his name was Mathis Park? The name does seem familiar…" The head researcher said cautiously. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers.

"Yes, he's involved with projects from pollution filters in China to military grade bulletproof vests to geokinetic power generators, next generation computers, therapeutic plants, and biomechanics. It's rumored that the items that he's released are only the tip of the iceberg of what he has actually invented, that he's keeping the best inventions for himself. Whether that's true or not, I can't say. The veracity of these claims is questionable."

"I see… So, this pill is the real deal?" Yonsu asked. The head researcher nodded cautiously. "It's certainly more than it seems. I would advise you to take one and find out, but it could be dangerous."

"I doubt it." Sangeen said. "I've spoken to Han Shinwoo's friends in the past few weeks. It wasn't hard to find them. The computer genius is in a college in Japan. Miss Seo is in a college less than an hour away on foot, and Im Suyi is in town at the moment.

"They all say he's the most honest person they know. They can't think of a single time that he's lied to them or anyone for that matter. Even when the truth would get him in trouble, he seems adamant on honesty." Sangeen said, his eyes narrowed.

"Hmm… A rare breed…" Yonsu said with a laugh. It was unusual to find such an honest person in modern times, especially amongst the young generation.

"I don't know that it's as rare as you think, Yonsu." An Sangeen said. "Certainly, all of Shinwoo's friends are quite honest. So, are you certain that this drug is safe, Head Researcher?" He asked. The researcher's eyes narrowed.

"As certain as I can be. It seems not to contain any detrimental chemicals… In fact, it's surprisingly free of any chemicals. It's… It's completely sterile."

"Is that odd?" Na Yonsu asked. The researcher nodded.

"Yes. Even if the biomass came from a source such as a tree rather than a body, even if the creator used a chemical to sterilize it, it would still have traces of both the chemical, and some level of microbes still present. To date, there is no chemical that can fully sterilize. But this… There isn't a single bacterium, virus, or pathogen, or a single molecule of a chemical. Who did you say gave you this pill?"

"Doctor Mathis Park."

"Ah, right… He's a mysterious individual. Not much is known about him. He only became well known recently, although all evidence indicates that he's been inventing for years, maybe even decades. Biomechanical marvels and things that most people could scarcely dream of. Well, regardless, it should be safe. I'd love to get even one such pill so that I could study it at length."

"We'll be glad to attempt to buy one." An Sangeen said, heading out to seek out Mathis Park again.

"Hello again, An Sangeen, Na Yonsu. Are you satisfied with the results of your head researcher's analysis of the drug?" Shinwoo asked. An Sangeen nodded.

"Yes. We would like to buy the drug in bulk, if that's possible." He said politely. Shinwoo nodded.

"Absolutely. Please join me at my apartment. I believe Seira is out at the moment."

"You don't have any on you?" Na Yonsu asked. Shinwoo scoffed at this.

"Of course not. I don't just walk around with drugs on my person, especially ones that have such a major effect on the body. Please, come with me…" Shinwoo said, leading the two agents to his apartment, where he walked in, changing back to Shinwoo immediately before he opened the door, just in case Seira was there. In fact, she was. She looked up and smiled at Shinwoo.

"Hey, Shinwoo…" Yun said, putting down his guitar. Shinwoo smiled cheerfully.

"Hey… Yun, right?" Shinwoo asked. Yun nodded. "Seira's almost done teaching me California Girls! I hope I'll do well in the talent show."

"I'm sure you'll do great. Excuse me." Shinwoo said, disappearing into the back and looking through the cabinets of drugs.

He had stored them alphabetically, and after a few moments of searching, he found HE V.2, and took several large bottles and two dozen small bottles that could fit a small number of the pills in them, and put them in a paper bag that he had modified to be a Tesseract. It wasn't a big Tesseract, just large enough to fit all the bottles, and he brought them out, saying goodbye to Seira and Yun, and closing the door, turning back into Mathis Park.

"Here you go. I've got four bottles with one hundred pills each. If you use them correctly, that's a full cycle for one hundred agents each. The bag has a number of miniature bottles that can hold up to four pills each. You can distribute them to each of your agents. Now, keep in mind, for maximum effect, it's best that the agents you give them to are already in good shape.

"The humans needn't be enhanced already. I've given them to regular humans in a product test, and they all reported significant increases in all of their abilities. Furthermore, these pills will last forever, so if you have a surplus, then just save them in the lab. They keep best in a cool, dry place. I don't know if you intend to give them to all of your agents, or just your enhanced agents, but remember, most enhanced humans, Nobles, and Werewolves can detect another Enhanced Human.

"These pills bypass that. They won't be detectable simply by looking at them. However, their enhanced abilities can be trained to be downplayed, but in a bind, you can't hide combat involving enhanced humans. It leaves unmistakable physical traces. But you already know that. Just be careful. After you finish the entire course of pills, I insist that you report to Frankenstein or me in order to have your new abilities tested. If you don't, I'll know, and I'll seek you out. I can assure you, you don't want that."

"Are you threatening us?" Yonsu asked angrily. Shinwoo shook his head.

"No. I'm warning you."

"We understand, Doctor Park. Now, how much do we owe you for these pills?" An Sangeen asked. Shinwoo thought for a moment.

"10,000,000 Won." Shinwoo said. Although it seemed like a lot, two things had to be taken into account, or so An Sangeen thought. One, there was nothing like this drug available anywhere on the market, and two, compared to what he had charged for just one pill, he was charging approximately half that each for four hundred. It was a good deal. An Sangeen nodded, and handed Shinwoo a card, which Shinwoo swiped in his cell phone, handing the phone to Sangeen to fill out the transaction.

Sangeen showed Shinwoo what he was doing while he typed in the commands, and put in 10,000,000 Won, and put in their PIN number. Shortly thereafter, there was a _whoosh_ ing sound, and the transaction seemed to be complete.

"Good, good. I hope that these pills work well for you. If you ever need any more, please come to me." Shinwoo said, smiling and shaking Sangeen's hand, bowing to Yonsu politely, and using biomass to turn his clothes into a different set of clothing, heading toward his dojang.

"Hey, Miss Seira…" Mina said cheerfully. Seira looked back at her evenly, heading back into the apartment.

"Please, call me Seira." Seira said to Yun's sister, who had come to pick him up. Seira took a small gift bag from the table and handed it to Mina, who opened it immediately, her eyes lighting up.

"Thank you so much, Seira! Did you make this yourself?"

"Yes. It was no trouble. As I said, it is best if you only spray yourself once per day. It tends to resist sweat and other things that would normally wash it away, and it produces adequate scent in small quantities." Seira said. Mina nodded along with her. Mina had always been a little jealous of Seira. She was so elegant and beautiful and talented. She seemed to have a grace about her that nobody else could possibly mimic.

"Here…" Mina said, paying Seira for the session. "By the way, how is Yun doing? Is he progressing well?" She asked. Seira nodded.

"Yun is quite talented. He should be ready for the talent show when it comes about. When is it again?"

"Next week. Is it possible to have his next lesson on Tuesday instead of Wednesday?"

"I'm sure I can fit him in." Seira said, typing in Yun's next lesson. She sighed with relief. Her usual client for that time had cancelled for the week, so she was looking for a client to fill that space.

"Continue practicing, Yun. You know the entire song. Your singing is a little off in comparison to the chords. You should listen to the song a few times, then play it in sync."  
"Yes, Seira." Yun said. "S-Seira? W-would you mind coming to my talent show?

"I'd… Feel a lot more comfortable if you were there." Yun said. Seira nodded.

"Of course I'll be there." She said. Yun's face lit up.

"Thank you! Here's your tickets! Shinwoo can come, too, if he wants to!"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

"First Elder… I believe I have succeeded in replicating your biometal. My replication is imperfect, but as near as I could achieve." Crombel said politely, bowing and handing Tesamu a vial of the Qo'ostrodium, which Tesamu took and put it under a microscope.

"Hmm… The molecular bonds are a little bit different, slightly weaker. It wouldn't stand up to as much punishment before the bonds broke. However, you achieved far more than I expected of you.

"Ninth Elder, how did you manage?" Tesamu asked. Crombel smirked. "Superheating the components and turning them into plasma allowed me to rearrange the molecular structure."

"Ingenious. Well, I am a man of my word. Please stay still for a moment. I will give you your reward for your success."

"Thank you, sir." Crombel said. Tesamu nodded, walking over to Crombel and putting his thumbs on Crombel's forehead, and focusing. Suddenly, Crombel nearly collapsed, but stood back up, gasping with the knowledge flowing through his mind. Knowledge that he never could have fathomed before was flowing like second nature. He had also gained Body Supremacy, which allowed him complete control of his own bodily functions, and he had also been given enhanced regeneration.

"I am deeply in your debt, First Elder." Doctor Crombel said deferentially. Tesamu shook his head.

"No. I was testing you by asking you to attempt to make the biometal. You didn't fully succeed at it. However, you did not have the same abilities that I have. If you continue to impress me, I will further reward you. I have a reason that I'm doing what I am doing. I wish to consolidate the Union, and its power. For too long, it has been a fractious, if powerful group.

"Although the Elders agree on the surface on most issues, they engage in infighting behind that, maneuvering for temporal power, benefiting themselves instead of the collective. Our organization could be far more powerful than it is if we could only see past ourselves and work as a unit. I believe that when we achieve that, we will need scientists like yourselves, and warriors like the three I have made my contractors to bring us into the future. Will you walk that road with me, Doctor Crombel?"

"I will, sir."

"Good." Tesamu said, smiling politely. I have another test for you. Attempt to translate this passage. It's in a language long dead. I can assure you that it's a language you've never seen before. It was only spoken in isolated areas of Europe… But… Aha… I've already told you too much."

"I will do my best, sir." Crombel said politely. Tesamu nodded.

"I'm sure you will." He replied, turning, and leaving the lab, while Crombel immediately got to work studying the passage. It was clearly a Germanic language, but he couldn't yet tell which one. He wanted to solve it as quickly as he could.

"Okay, hello, everyone. I'm pleased to welcome you all to the Sung Woo Elementary School talent show. All of our students have worked long and hard to prepare for this, and their efforts have paid off. Our first student is Anjali Kalyani." A small girl with oversized glasses and hands that seemed too large for her arms came out, sitting down on the floor with a sitar, and fine-tuned it a little bit before starting to pluck, overall doing a good job.

"I'm really nervous, Miss Seira… I'm not ready for this!"

"Yes you are, Yun." Seira said gently, evolving another power right on the spot based on the information that she had read on Shinwoo's database of powers. Shinwoo had been keeping a very comprehensive databank of powers and the science behind them. Even Frankenstein had spoken of how impressed he was with Shinwoo's ability.

She immediately evolved Emotion Manipulation, projecting an aura of calmness outward, and putting a hand on Yun's shoulder, breathing the calmness and courage into him.

"You'll be fine. I have no doubt that you are ready for this, Yun. Here, drink this. It will calm your nerves." Seira said, producing a glass and filling it with a green liquid.

"What is it?"

"It's honeydew juice."

"Did you invent this, too? I've never heard of honeydew juice."

"No. Shinwoo did."

"Wow… Shinwoo really makes a lot of things."

"Well… I suppose so. Drink up." Seira said. Yun drank it and almost immediately, he felt better.

"Thank you, Miss Seira. Miss Seira?"

"Yes, Yun?" Seira asked.

"N-nothing… Never mind…"

"Okay. Your turn is coming up soon. Is your guitar tuned?"

"Yes…"

"Have you warmed up your vocal chords?"

"Yes."

"You've done your vocal exercises?" Seira asked. Yun nodded.

"Yes, Miss Seira."

"Good. You've practiced the full song one last time before you came here?"

"Yes."

"Then there's nothing more you can do. Let grace and good fortune take you the rest of the way." Seira said, smiling. Yun blushed upon seeing Seira's smile. It always managed to get his heart rate up when she smiled. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. If Seira believed in him, he knew he could do it. He had to do it, to make her proud of him. It was her reputation as well as his.

"Up next is Rhee, Yun." Came the voice of the principal. Yun took a deep breath and walked out, sitting down in the chair with his guitar, strumming a few times, then he began playing.

"Well East coast girls are hip  
I really dig those styles they wear  
And the Southern girls with the way they talk  
They knock me out when I'm down there

The Mid-West farmer's daughters really make you feel alright  
And the Northern girls with the way they kiss  
They keep their boyfriends warm at night

I wish they all could be California  
I wish they all could be California  
I wish they all could be California girls

The West coast has the sunshine  
And the girls all get so tanned  
I dig a French bikini on Hawaii island dolls

By a palm tree in the sand

I been all around this great big world  
And I seen all kinds of girls  
Yeah, but I couldn't wait to get back in the states  
Back to the cutest girls in the world

I wish they all could be California  
I wish they all could be California  
I wish they all could be California girls

I wish they all could be California  
I wish they all could be California  
I wish they all could be California  
I wish they all could be California girls!"

After he finished, he bowed politely, and made his way off stage to applause from the audience, taking a deep breath, and looking at Seira for reassurance.

"You did very well, Yun." Seira said. Yun looked away.

"I messed up the G chord. I could hear it."

"No. You played it perfectly. You've been practicing this song almost non-stop since we started, and you became very good at it. Whatever happens now, you did very well." Seira said quietly. Yun gulped. He needed to tell her… Now, or he would never have the courage to tell her.

"Miss Seira?"

"Yes, Yun?"

"Um… I-I love you, Miss Seira!" He said suddenly. Seira nodded, not saying anything for a moment. After a little bit, she spoke.

"Thank you, Yun. That's very sweet of you."

"But… You don't feel the same way."

"No. I don't feel the same way. I care about you. I like you. You're a nice boy, and you're a good student… But I'm sorry… I…"

"Don't apologize. I'm disappointed, but… Not surprised. I kind of knew you would say that. Thank you for being such a good teacher."

"I can still be your teacher if you want me to be, Yun. I can teach you other songs… Or other instruments if you prefer." Seira said kindly. Yun's eyes lit up.

"Yes! I'd like that! Can you teach me to play Rocky Mountain High?"

"I can. I would need to hear the song first, but after that, I would be happy to teach it to you."

"You… You only need to hear it? You don't need to practice it yourself?"

"Probably not. Is it a guitar song?"

"Yes."

"On an acoustic guitar?"

"Yes."

"I'm sure I'll manage then." Seira said. Yun sighed.

"How is it you're so amazing?"

"I'm not. I happen to have a very specific talent. Where I come from, I'm not out of the ordinary."

"Where do you come from?"

"An island nation in the Atlantic Ocean. It's not a name that can be pronounced with any accuracy in this language. It's a constitutional monarchy." Seira said.

"I see. Why are you here, then?"

"I came for school, and my parents allowed me to stay after. The awards are coming up." Seira said. Yun nodded.

"Okay, and now awards… First place goes to… Jeong Nari, for her rendition of Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor." The principal said. Slowly, a petite girl with messy hair and braces came to the front, accepting the award, thanking the principal almost silently, and heading off the stage.

"Second Place goes to Choi Hyun for his acrobatics."

Choi came up to the stage, walking on his hands, and took the award with his feet, thanking the principal and leaping up onto his feet, throwing the award into his hand and bowing before flipping off the stage and heading back to his seat. Seira couldn't help but think that Choi was a bit of a showoff.

"And, third place goes to Rhee Yun for his rendition of California Girls by the Beach Boys." The principal said. Yun jumped upon hearing his name, freezing in place, and gasping. Seira smiled, pushing Yun out onto the stage, snapping him out of his shock.

"Th-thank you, Principal." Yun said nervously, taking the award shakily, and stumbling off stage, still dazed.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

"Good morning, Shinwoo. We've come to test our new abilities. We chose to use ourselves as the first test subjects. Our physical abilities have increased dramatically, and our mental abilities seem to be greater than before."

"Excellent, excellent. Please, come in. I'll examine you in my lab." Shinwoo said politely, standing back from the door. Yonsu and Sangeen came in.

"Would you like something to drink? I can't give you food until I've tested you. But some tea might be just what the doctor ordered." Shinwoo said.

"Oh, no, thank you." Sangeen said, following Shinwoo downstairs into a sterile looking environment. It was perfectly kept, and pure white.

"Okay. Which one of you wants to go first?"

"I will…" Yonsu said.

"Okay. Take off the jacket and the button-up shirt. If you have something under that, you can leave that on." Shinwoo said. Yonsu nodded and started unbuttoning the shirt, taking the jacket off as well and hanging it on the rack.

"Okay. Lie down on that table over there, underneath what looks like a light." Shinwoo said. Yonsu nodded, lying down and closing her eyes as Shinwoo went to the computer, where he typed in some commands. The two agents heard a slight buzzing noise as the "light" above her moved, going lower over Yonsu's head, making snapping noises as it moved. Shinwoo nodded, and typed in more commands. It then moved over the rest of her body, taking what must have been pictures.

After a while, Shinwoo looked over all the pictures on the screen, nodding, seeming satisfied.

"Agent Yonsu. Your vitals are excellent. I have no doubt that you took an IQ test before you joined the KSA?"

"Yes. I was at 132."

"Not bad. Now you're at 218.7. Smarter than almost any human alive. Your heart is beating 3.5 times slower, making it beat around 17 times per minute. This is a result of your heart being stronger, now, and needing to beat fewer times in order to pump your blood. Your lungs are stronger than ever also, and you could probably hold your breath for over an hour if you were so inclined, well, in calm situations, maybe not in battle, though I can't imagine a situation when you would need to.

"On a side note, have your thoughts been racing at all lately?" Shinwoo asked. Yonsu scowled.

"Yes. I haven't been able to sleep terribly well because of it. What's wrong?"

"Probably nothing. The rapid increase in IQ has caused an increase in neural activity. Approximately 20% of your brain is active at the time. Not enough to cause a seizure, but enough to make it difficult to concentrate for longer than a few minutes.

"It will slow down within a week. Until then, take these pills. They're more biomass pills, but they create a calming effect on the brain. You'll be fine, Agent Yonsu. Take 1 each day in the morning for five days. By then, it should be natural. If it isn't, come back and see me. Sangeen, take your jacket and shirt off. You can leave on your undershirt if you're wearing one." Shinwoo said. Sangeen said nothing, removing his shirt and lying down on the table. Shinwoo typed in the same commands.

Soon, he spoke again.

"Okay… Your improvements are similar to Yonsu's. Your strength has increased less and your intelligence has increased more. What was your IQ before?"

"135.3."

"Mm… Good, good… Your IQ is at 229.8, and seems to still be increasing. This is causing the same issues in your brain as Yonsu's. You might have better control over it due to your naturally calmer personality, but you may want to take the same pill that I gave Yonsu." Shinwoo said, handing Sangeen a bottle of seven pills. Sangeen took the bottle and pocketed it.

"Thank you. What is my physical condition like?"

"It's similar to Yonsu's. Your heart rate has decreased by necessity, and your breathing is slower. Both your senses have increased. I'm whispering right now at a level that would be barely audible to normal humans, and you've been responding as if you hear me perfectly. It will take you some time to get used to it and it may seem like people are screaming at you.

"If you want, you can put in some earplugs. Regular ones that you buy at the store should be plenty. Yonsu, Sangeen, take these and squeeze them as tightly as you can." Shinwoo ordered. They took the objects and held them in both hands, squeezing tightly. Shinwoo looked at the computer screen, observing the numbers as they increased and levelled off.

"Your grip strengths have increased as well. Your grip strengths are at almost 600 kilograms. You could easily crush bone with that strength. I'd be careful if I were you. Keep increasing it, but learn to control it as best you can. You'll find for a little while that you'll be stronger than you realize. Come down one more level with me." Shinwoo said, leading the two agents down to the dojo, where he told them to run a mile at full speed. He added that a mile was two laps around the outer edge of the dojo.

The two agents walked to the same place and began running, picking up to full speed in less than three seconds, finishing the mile in less than thirty seconds.

"Good, good. Your abilities have drastically increased. What was your time before you started the pills?"

"Mm… About a minute and a half."

"Great. We need to go through a few more tests. I'm downloading your stats from the KSA database right now." Shinwoo said, hitting the enter button and nodding, scrolling down and then nodding again.  
"Wait! You can't use the KSA database! That's highly classified information!" Yonsu demanded angrily. Shinwoo laughed.

"Please, I could hack your database in my sleep." Shinwoo said dismissively. It was true in a sense. He had technopathy as a sub-power of his Science Manipulation. He could easily just communicate with the KSA database and demand the information.

"We can't allow you to do that. Information about agents, especially the modified ones, is some of the most classified information we have, especially since it's secret even from the Union."

Shinwoo looked at Sangeen levelly. "But how are you going to stop me? That said… I have some more pills that I could sell you to further enhance your abilities. They're… Supplementary in a sense. They really should only be taken after you complete the first course… Which, I'm assuming you have?"

"Yes. We took all four pills."

"Good. Then try these. It's a six week supplementary course and will fully solidify your new modifications while further enhancing them. Think of it as stacking a keen weapon with Improved Critical in Pathfinder." Shinwoo said. The two agents looked at each other, then at Shinwoo.

"Never mind. Anyway, we can work out the same deal as before if you like."

"How much will this enhance us as compared to how much the previous regimen did?"

"About the same, maybe as much as 5% more or less, depending on the individual. This regimen specializes more than the previous regimen. It takes into account the individual's specialization more than the first regimen. So a very strong person, once they take this, would enhance strength much greater than their intelligence with these pills."

"I see… Do you recommend them?" Sangeen asked. Shinwoo shrugged.

"It's up to you."

"So, 10,000,000 Won for 400?" Sangeen asked. Shinwoo nodded. But I would advise that you buy 600, since it's a six week cycle. I'll sell you 600 for 12,000,000 Won."

"Seems fair. You really don't want much money for these pills, do you? I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but… What's the catch?"

"The catch? There is none. I make these for free, Agent Yonsu. I'm making more money than I know what to do with. Besides, you guys are working to protect the nation. How could I gouge you guys?" Shinwoo asked.

Yonsu had to admit that he was right. But most drug companies would strongly disagree. She nodded, though, and took the six bottles of pills, putting them in a bag.

"You're nothing like the modified humans of the Union. You seem to have a conscience." Yonsu said with a smirk. Shinwoo laughed.

"Yeah… Well, I didn't choose to be modified. The First Elder modified me against my will. I was infected with the Blacklight Virus, and… Well, I kept evolving it and evolving it… And now, well… I haven't met the person I couldn't defeat in combat. But I'd rather live in peace. That's where you two and your organization come in. You've been ordered with the protection of Korea. So, if I can help you by providing you with extra power… Well, that's priceless." Shinwoo said.

Yonsu looked at him, shocked. He really was nothing like the Union.

"Maybe we could convince you to join the KSA, Han Shinwoo. That was the original reason that we came to your school. We told Principal Lee that all students had a chance, but we had actually singled you, and Woo Ikhan out for your… Exceptional abilities. You, with your martial arts, and him with his genius intellect and master hacking abilities.

"If you remember the thugs you ran into that night… They were all KSA trainees. They were… Properly reprimanded for their shoddy acting, but we managed to confirm what we were there to test… That your martial arts exceeded those of highly trained government agents… You could have gone on to either be a great asset or a great threat." An Sangeen said soberly. Shinwoo nodded, but then shook his head. He wasn't interested.

"I couldn't be a government agent. I'll help you guys all that I can. I'll make new inventions. I'll invent new and more powerful drugs to enhance your abilities as much as I can. But I have a job as the owner of a martial arts school. I'm already opening up a third dojang. I have responsibilities in those schools."

"Martial arts? What styles do you teach?"

"Hm, well… I could arguably teach any martial arts style known to man. But the schools I run teach Taekwondo and Hapkido. As the students master the two arts separately, I'll start teaching them to merge them, like I've done for myself. You're welcome to join… I'd give you good rates."

"Impressive. Do you have anything else that you could sell us?" Yonsu asked. Shinwoo nodded.

"What kind of weapons do you use?"

"Well… We're trained in a number of weapons. Knives, guns, even improvised weapons."

"Good… I have some biomass bullets painted different colors. That way, you can tell the effects apart. Let's see… Neurotoxin… Careful, it's 1,000 times stronger than that of the Blue Ringed Octopus. Paralysis bullet, freeze bullet, incendiary bullet, explosive bullet, muscle relaxant, anesthetic bullet, electric bullet… Well… You can read about all the bullets in this pamphlet."

"Great. How much do we owe you for these?"

"Not so fast. Here's a gun that goes with them. They're specialty bullets, so they don't correspond with any current caliber. I wouldn't use them carelessly. I've made 500 bullets and 5 guns. But you should use them carefully. I have some hyper-dense, molecule thin knives that you can use in a pinch. They'll cut through steel like a hot knife through butter."

"And how much do we owe you for these."

"Let's say 17,500,000 Won for everything, including the pills…"

"Very well. You've been very generous today."

"No. I'm only doing what I can for the country. I'll need you to continue training intensively to master your new abilities.

"Once you and the agents have finished the ten week total regimen of pills, continue to train to fully recognize your abilities. Remember that your abilities may be very different based on your styles once you complete the cycles. Keep the six week cycle pills and the four week cycle pills separate so that you don't confuse them when taking them. They're in fact very different from each other."

"How are they different? They seem pretty similar." Yonsu challenged. Shinwoo smiled.

"I'm actually glad you asked. They work under a separate command. The four week cycle works under the command word "enhance", whereas the six week cycle works under two commands, "enhance" and "specialize". Once the six week cycle is complete, the subject's specialties will be maximized to their logical conclusion of perfection, well… As perfect as possible. We're still only human.

"The separation between your specialties and your non-specialties will be greater, though, so you'll want to begin to train especially hard in those areas in which you don't normally specialize in order to compensate. I can create more pills… But pills and enhancements can only take you so far, and if you rely on them too much, your natural ability in all areas will begin to atrophy.

"I've actually made a chart showing the results. Watch." Shinwoo said, typing in a few commands and standing back as An Sangeen and Na Yonsu watched the blue and red lines go upwards and downwards respectively. They paid attention to what the lines represented, and noticed that as the pills continued to enhance their abilities, their reliance on their enhancements caused their natural ability in them to plummet. As the video ended, An Sangeen nodded.

"We'll only take this ten week course of pills, then. Can we assume that Principal Lee will also be involved in training us?" Sangeen asked. Shinwoo shrugged.

"You would have to ask him. I can't speak for him. Now, be careful with the guns. The recoil is deceptively weak. They pack the power of an armor piercing sniper rifle with the recoil of a 9 mm."

"But… A 9 mm doesn't have any recoil."

"That's where you're wrong. It has recoil, but it's so weak as to be unnoticeable to an average adult. A child might feel a bit of a kick, depending on how strong they are. But even weaker adults can fire one without noticeable kickback.

"However, be careful. These bronze colored bullets are intended to pierce even the thickest armor. It could pierce 6 inch thick tank armor. The rest of the bullets will pierce regular armor, but are not designed to pierce very thick armor. Do you understand? Here's a booklet I produced on the bullets and their specialties. These are regular bullets sized for these guns. They're free, but I suggest you only use the specialty guns against powerful modified humans.

"Remember, the neurotoxin bullets have enough neurotoxin in them to kill 10,000 humans. The paralysis bullets could paralyze an elephant. The freeze bullets release a material that's at 0.05oK, that's just over Absolute Zero. The other bullets, well, you'll learn about them. I need to get going, now, though. Sorry." Shinwoo said. An Sangeen nodded, putting the pills and the bullets and guns in bags, and heading upstairs with Shinwoo, who saw them to the door.

"Shinwoo? What are you still doing at home? I thought you would have been out an hour ago." Seira said, looking up from her cello.

"Hey, Seira, hey… Zhenya, right?"

"Yes… It pleasure see you again, Han Shinwoo. Who fancy dressed man and woman?"

"Oh, these are some government agents I've been talking to…"

"Gov-ern-ment? What means that?" Zhenya asked. Seira interjected, speaking in Russian for Zhenya's benefit that they worked for a Korean national security agency.

"Oh, you keep country safe from foreign invaders and the terrorists."

"Yes. That's right." An Sangeen said in perfect Russian.

"Ooh, government man very talented." Zhenya said with a bright smile. An Sangeen bowed in thanks.

"We have to go. Thank you for having us, Miss Loyard, Han Shinwoo… And thank you for the supplies." Sangeen said politely, holding the door for Yonsu and shutting the door behind them. As they left, Seira locked the door, going back to Zhenya, and sitting down, picking up her Cello again and sitting up straight.

"Okay, I apologize for the delay, Miss Zhenya. Please continue with what you were playing." Seira said politely. Zhenya nodded, and began playing again. Shinwoo's eyes widened. Zhenya already had a great deal of proficiency with the Cello. Her ability in playing the 1812 Overture was incredible. Shortly thereafter, Zhenya's lesson was over, and she paid Seira the 35,000 Won for the lesson. Seira thanked her, and saw her to the door.

As soon as she had seen Zhenya out, though, another student came in.

"Good morning, Seira… Shinwoo…" Yun said politely, sitting down and beginning to tune his guitar. He had a new goal, now.

"Seira… Can you teach me how to pluck the strings with my fingers?"

"You want to learn how to play guitar with your fingers instead of a pick?" Seira asked. Yun nodded vigorously, plucking an air guitar with his fingers.

"I… Also want to learn to play a 12 string guitar."

"Are you sure that you wish to learn the 12 string guitar already? I can teach you to pluck a 6 string guitar with your fingers, and a 12 string guitar is much more complicated. The strings are much closer together, and require much more accurate plucking.

"Yes, I'm sure." Yun said. Seira nodded.

"I believe I can accommodate that, then. I think I have some 12 string guitars in the back room. Shinwoo, would you come back and help me find them? The room is a mess right now."

"Sure." Shinwoo said, following Seira to the instrument storage room, gasping as they entered.

"How many instruments do you have in here?"

"I have not counted recently. However, I do not have any 12 string guitars."

"Well, I can make one… Or two." Shinwoo said, taking a deep breath, and generating a 12 string guitar, holding it properly, and plucking the strings, playing a short riff. Seira nodded. It sounded pretty good.

"Not good enough." Shinwoo said, absorbing it, and modifying the shape and size of it, plucking out another riff, finding this one to be acceptable.

Shinwoo had watched Yun play guitar, and made one that was better suited to Yun's size, handing them to Seira, who thanked Shinwoo, and walked out. As Seira sat down, Shinwoo sighed.

"I have to get going. I need to take my morning run."

"Morning? But it's almost noon!" Yun protested.

"Well… I had to meet with someone before this. I am in charge of an entire martial arts school." Shinwoo said, taking a deep breath, and running out the door, locking it behind him.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Hecate, Melchior, Ignes… Are you ready? Your first assignment begins now. I want you to meet and analyze your potential opponent. There's no reason to believe that he can't be turned to our side. But I would like to make sure that we know everything possible about him. Don't attack him. Because of that, I believe that Hecate and Melchior would be the best options for scouts.

"Ignes, while you have excellent scientific and combat prowess, I suspect that your ability to scout would be hampered by your… Um, fiery personality."

"I see… Well, whatever you need me to do, First Elder-nim." Ignes said, smiling dangerously at Tesamu, who nodded, seeming wholly unconcerned.

"Thank you. I'd like you to observe from a distance for now, and record his movements for later analysis." Tesamu said, waving his arm and teleporting the three of them away.

"So… How are we supposed to find this… Han Shinwoo?" Melchior asked. Hecate sighed, shaking her head.

"Isn't it obvious? We simply have to locate him. The First Elder-nim assured us that it wouldn't be difficult. His power signature is immense. For Tesamu-nim to render such great praise means that even he considers him to be formidable. We won't have a hard time locating him." Hecate said dismissively.

"So, should I or will you?"

"When did I ever give the impression that I even have the remotest amount of telepathy?"

"Well, I don't have telepathy either, Hecate."

"Relax, relax…" Ignes said with a wide smirk, closing her eyes and seeking out all instances of power users in the city. She had probably faced most of them in combat, so she would recognize the power signatures of most of them, and if she didn't recognize the signature, she could simply take a short peek that would not likely arouse suspicion. She took a deep breath, and spread her consciousness across the city. She nodded with each signature that she passed.

"No… No… No, that's the Loyard clan leader. No, that's the Noblesse… That's the werewolf wannabe. That's the gunman… That's the computer geek… Hmm… No, she's a werewolf… That's Muzaka… That's his woman… That's Frankenstein… Ah! _Found him!_ " Ignes said with a maniacal grin, beginning to whisper under her breath to an invisible person.

" _Who is this? Why have you contacted me?"_

 _My name is Ignes Kravei… And I should very much like to meet you. Please come to the fountain in the middle of the park to talk to me. If you do not, I will kill one human for every ten minutes that you're…_

"Not here. It's a pleasure to meet you, Han Shinwoo… I've heard great things about you from Tesamu-nim. He assures me that you're an exceptional individual, that you were, even before you were modified."

"Yeah, yeah… What do you want?"

"We were sent by Tesamu-nim to request one last time that you join the Union. After all, your independent work can only take you so far. As a collective, we in the Union are far more qualified to put out cutting edge research. Although Frankenstein puts to shame all individual Union researchers, as an organization, we've used the information we've gathered from our battles with Frankenstein and his cronies to advance our research. Soon, we'll be even more powerful than he is.

"And on that day, don't you want to be on the winning side? Sure, you could stay with Miss Loyard, and be relatively happy. But as a Union member, you can have all the women you want. And if I do say so myself, we've got better options."

"Thank you. I appreciate that you thought of me. But I'll have to pass. I'm happy with Seira. I've already asked her to marry me."

"That's sweet. But misguided. You're thinking about the wrong things. What do you think a man should do if he has power?" Ignes asked. Shinwoo thought for a moment.

"Protect those who don't have the power to protect themselves. Isn't that what the Nobles once stood for? What your own father once stood for, until he was corrupted by power?"

"How dare you malign my father! If Raizel hadn't ignored my father like he did, then he would never have had to rebel! It was Raizel's fault! I'll fucking kill you myself!" Ignes shrieked, manifesting her Soul Weapon, and immediately attacking. However, the weapon was grabbed by Hecate, who twisted her wrist, snatching it out of Ignes' hands, forcing it to dissipate.

"Ignes… Lord Tesamu ordered us not to harm Shinwoo… Yet. We were to attempt to negotiate with him. Please, allow me…" Hecate said, moving past Ignes, looking at Shinwoo meaningfully.

"Please listen, Han Shinwoo… I don't care much for the tactics that the Union has used in the past. But it is Lord Tesamu's desire to change that in the future. And though we have had trouble staying truly united before, Lord Tesamu's plan will change that."

"Oh? And, what is this Lord Tesamu's plan?"

"Well… I haven't been given permission to tell you. But if you join us, I'm certain that you'll find out. You can work with the rest of the Union for the betterment of mankind. The Union has technology and power unrivaled by any person or organization in the entire world."

"Ahahaha! Yeah, right! Frankenstein has kicked your sorry asses time and again! It's almost pathetic how ineffectual you are against just one man!" Shinwoo laughed. Hecate's eyebrow twitched slightly, but she kept her cool. She had had 1,000 years to train herself in not losing her temper.

"That's true. Frankenstein's power was inferior to our new Lord's power. However, his unpredictability served him well in battle."

"Hm… Well, I suppose it's theoretically possible to defeat Frankenstein… Though… It's hard to imagine him going down without a serious fight. I've heard stories about him being the monster that even the Nobles used to fear. Even Werewolves were supposedly terrified of the demonic Frankenstein."

"Hmm… Yes, that's a fairly accurate description. But did you know that Frankenstein used to be part of the Union? He was one of our most brilliant scientists.

"He, along with dozens of other Union scientists, discovered a way to mimic a Noble Soul Weapon. Instead of using the souls of mighty Nobles, and solidifying them upon death into weapon form, they instigated wars to kill tens of thousands of humans in order to create a weapon out of thousands of human souls. It succeeded, but Frankenstein took the weapon for himself, and fled the Union. By then, he was very powerful.

"It appears he had been capturing Nobles for years and experimenting on them in order to make himself more powerful. This allowed him to gain hypnosis, mind control, the Nobles' strength, speed, lifespan and healing. And with his Soul Weapon, he had the power of a Clan Leader."

"I didn't know that he was a member of the Union. But it doesn't really matter. He's a good person, now. He's saved me and my friends countless times. He trained me in the use of my Biomass powers. He fought alongside me to save my friends again when Tesamu kidnapped them. Your Lord Tesamu isn't the great man that you believe him to be."

"Do you think that just because Frankenstein opposes the Union, that he's a good person? If you believe that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, then you are sorely deluded. I believe that you can change the world for the better… If you'll only let go of your pride, and join us, as you were meant to do from the beginning. Why would you deny yourself your destiny?"

"See? That's the beauty of it." Shinwoo said with a smirk. "I don't believe in destiny. I believe that everyone designs their own fate. Others can have an impact on one's fate, but one must decide how to react, and thus, remain in control of their own fate until and unless they choose to give up said control to another, which I believe is arguably also an expression free will."

"Hm… You're more eloquent than we gave you credit for. I can see that you won't be swayed by logical arguments. But what of your friends? What of their safety? Naturally, in learning about you, the Union has learned all about all of your friends. Woo Ikhan. He is attending college in Japan for Computer Sciences. Seo Yuna. She is attending college in the next town over, with the intention of being a doctor.

"Im Suyi is a model. Her location is difficult to say at the moment, but her movements are predictable, as they are dictated by the modeling agency she works for. And you and Seira… Well, you live right in Seoul. Did you really think that we didn't know where everyone you know and love lives? I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this. Threatening people is so uncultured. But… Sometimes necessary."

"I will protect my friends. You don't think I left them without any defense against people who would mean them harm, do you?"

"You mean the Werewolf roommate that Miss Yuna has? Or the Aikido training that Ikhan has? Or the skill in running that Miss Suyi has? We've learned all about them. They're at peak human level at the highest, and the Werewolf is barely a tenth my own age.

"She may be intelligent and skilled for her age, but we have Werewolves that are over 1,000 years old amongst the Union."

"No. Though those are important defenses that I've given them. I doubt that you will figure it out. Good luck though. I really have to go. I'm quite busy today. Have a good day, all of you." Shinwoo said, turning and walking away.

As he turned his back, though, Ignes' face warped with rage, and she engulfed Leviathan with 1,000o fire, and cracked the whip at him turning the sandy soil around them to glass as the whip cracked. Shinwoo reinforced his hand, though, and grabbed the whip out of the air, spreading Absolute Zero degree ice down the whip, extinguishing the fire, and freezing Ignes' arm up to the elbow.

Ignes managed to melt the ice by creating a quick burst of flame much hotter than any that she could maintain, and attacked Shinwoo, who used Vector Manipulation to repel her attack, flinging her back over twenty meters with the immense force that he used, and slamming her into a tree, crushing it under the force of the impact. Shinwoo sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Seriously, Miss Kravei… Stop. You're not going to be able to hurt me. So you may as well give up." Shinwoo said resignedly, teleporting away, secretly kicking himself for not doing that sooner. He was sure that they would be able to track him down. But for now, he needed to warn Frankenstein that Union agents were in the city and ready to stir up trouble.

"Hey, Rai! Ras! Principal Lee!" Shinwoo yelled, ringing the doorbell. Frankenstein's face appeared on the monitor with his usual smile, but Shinwoo could sense that he was annoyed.

"Hello, Han Shinwoo. How can I help you?" Frankenstein asked tiredly. Usually he didn't get tired, even when he was up all night. But these children had a way of exhausting him. Their constant energy was refreshing in a way, but it also drained Frankenstein.

He had been used to his master's company. Raizel rarely asked for anything. Sometimes tea or cookies or a meal. But Raizel was very quiet and calm, and could sit still for hours, even days or weeks, just looking out the window. Frankenstein had gotten used to that lifestyle. Then, Raizel's friends came along, and Frankenstein was happy that Raizel had friends now, even a wife, but he rarely got a minute's rest, especially with all the people Raizel had taken in as well.

"I'm… Sorry to bother you, but…"

"Please, come in. We're sitting down to lunch. Would you like to join us?" Frankenstein asked politely. Shinwoo smiled.

"No thank you. It might be best to come in, but I can't stay long."

If Shinwoo wasn't mistaken, he was sure that Frankenstein looked relieved upon hearing that. But he didn't belabor it.

"Very well. Please, come in." Frankenstein replied, opening the gate. Shinwoo hurried in, immediately getting down to business.

"Listen, Frankenstein… Three agents of the Union are in the city. They feel very powerful. One is a Werewolf, one is Ignes Kravei, and the third I think is a modified human, though he didn't say anything to me, or behave in a way that would allow me to extensively analyze his powers. Ignes had powers that I don't suspect she was born with."

"What powers did she use?"

"She had pyrokinesis in excess of 1000oC. The Werewolf seemed like she had Spatial Manipulation of some sort, and the large modified human… It was hard to tell. But I think his physical abilities were modified even beyond what the other two had.

"I didn't feel like the modifications I mentioned were normal modifications. Almost as if they were seamless extensions of the individuals' natural powers. It was like it was programmed into their DNA. But the only person who could have done something like that would have been you, me, or Tesamu, and they mentioned Tesamu's name as Lord Tesamu, almost as if he was their master."

"I see. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. There is not much we can do right now. Until they create a disturbance, there's little reason to make a big deal out of it. It's unfortunate, but if we attack them first, then they have even more reason to make us their enemy. Did they say anything to indicate that they would cause trouble?"

"Yes. The Werewolf said that they knew where all my friends lived, and they threatened them none too subtly. I'm not terribly worried. There are numerous protections that I've placed around my friends. Teleportation wards, shields, vector manipulation abilities. They can't control them consciously.

"But the wards are intelligent, and will not only alert me and all my clones if they're attacked and the location they're at to an accuracy of half a meter, but will also go off in the most beneficial succession. For example, the shields will go off first. If the shields are broken, the vector manipulation will go off. If the vector manipulation protection ends, then they'll be teleported to my location or the location of one of my clones. Hopefully, one of me will be there to fight them by then."

"You've really thought this out extensively, haven't you? Did you really expect your friends to be attacked, though?" Frankenstein asked. Shinwoo shook his head.

"I didn't, but ever since Tesamu showed up at Rai's wedding, I began preparing for the worst. I've programmed dozens of protections into my friends. Most of them were secretly installed in the pills that I gave all of them. So the RK should have all those protections as well.

"They're biomass based, and remain latent in the body until used. They have no expiration date, and the more they train their abilities, the stronger the protections become. I didn't leave anything to chance when I gave them the pills."

"Impressive. Your ability for foresight has become admirable. Still, we should keep an eye on those three. I doubt they'll stay quiet. Ignes never was very good at laying low.

"She was always a very rambunctious child, even before Roctis left Lukedonia. And individuals that powerful can't hide themselves for long, especially if they were given a mission." Frankenstein said in concern. Shinwoo nodded, and bowed politely to him, to Raizel and to Raskreia, who nodded at Shinwoo. "See ya later, Noblesse, Lord…"

"There is no need to address us so formally, Han Shinwoo." Raskreia said stoically.

"You may be a Noble, now. But you are still our friend." She finished. Shinwoo nodded.

"Of course, Raizel, Raskreia. Have a good day." Shinwoo said, heading out, teleporting back to his own apartment. He needed to warn his clones and Seira of the potential danger.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Seira! Oh, hello, Miss Moon…"

"Appelle-moi Darin, S'il vous plaît."

"No, no… Korean!" Seira said, rapping Darin on the wrist with her ruler.

"Aie! I mean, ouch! Sorry, Miss Seira…"

"Please, just Seira."

 _Seira… We have a problem._

" _A problem? We are being attacked by the Union?"_ Seira asked. Shinwoo nodded mentally.

 _Yes. Three Elder level Union agents, including a millennial Werewolf, Ignes Kravei, and a modified human are currently in Seoul, and they have already threatened our friends._

" _I see. I will be done with my appointments after Darin."_

 _Okay._ Shinwoo replied. Seira seemed worried.

"Miss Seira… Are you alright? You suddenly look pale? If you're sick, you don't need to keep teaching me today. I can come back next time!" Darin protested, seeming genuinely concerned about Seira.

"I appreciate your concern. Shinwoo can finish your lesson, if that's acceptable. Do you mind, Shinwoo?" Seira asked. Shinwoo nodded, sitting down next to Darin.

"Okay, what were you working on?"

"I was learning Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Mr. Han."

"Please, just Shinwoo. Mr. Han was my father." Shinwoo said, grabbing Seira's ukulele, and plucking it a few times to test it before playing a few chords of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

"Perfect. Show me how far you've gotten, Darin." Shinwoo said. Darin took a deep breath, and began playing.

Somewhere over the rainbow  
Way up high  
And the dreams that you dreamed of  
Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow  
Blue birds fly  
And the dreams that you dreamed of  
Dreams really do come true ooh oh

Someday I'll wish upon a star  
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me  
Where trouble melts like lemon drops  
High above the chimney top  
That's where you'll find me

Oh, somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly  
And the dream that you dare to,  
Oh why, oh why can't I?

"Mm… Good, good… You're doing well. You have a pretty voice. Have you ever considered singing lessons?"

"Oh…" Darin blushed slightly. "N-no… I just…"

"Aha! Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. You're doing well. We just need to fine tune your playing now. Pluck a C#." Shinwoo said. Darin did this, and Shinwoo closed his eyes, letting the smell of the sound wash over him.

"See? You're off by a tiny bit in your tuning."

"What? But I'm hearing it perfectly." Darin said, confused. Shinwoo nodded.

"And it's good that you can hear it. But you need to start _feeling_ it. _Feel_ the minute differences between a proper C# and an improper one. _Feel_ the sound." Shinwoo said emphatically.

"Here. Give me your hand." Shinwoo said. Darin pulled away slightly.

"You're not going to hit me with your ruler, are you?" She asked nervously. Shinwoo actually laughed at this.

"Ahahaha! No, no. Just trust me. You'll feel a slight pinch, no worse than a needle, though. I'm stimulating a pressure point that will allow for enhanced tactile sensation." Shinwoo said, taking Darin's hands in his own and focusing, making her fingers more sensitive to the difference in vibration between the different notes.

"Good. Now, take my Ukulele, and play a C#." Shinwoo said. Darin raised an eyebrow, but took it, and played it, feeling the vibrations course through the pick, into her fingers and hands.

"This tickles a bit. What exactly did you do?" She asked.

"That's a secret. Now, twist the tuning machine for C# a little bit. Now, pluck it again. Do you feel the difference in the vibrations? Yes? Good."

The two went through each cord over and over again until Darin could tune it perfectly. Then they went onto her violin, and he taught her to do the same thing with that, feeling the vibrations in the strings until she could do it by memory. Shinwoo had to admit that he thought it was going to take longer, but by the end of the double lesson that she had booked, she had it down perfectly.

"Great. You did really well. I'm very impressed, Darin." Shinwoo said, making Darin blush again.

"Thank you, Shinwoo… Does Seira know all these things that you do?"

"Of course. Her teaching style is a little less direct than mine, but I'm sure that she would have taught you the same things that I did today sooner or later." Shinwoo said. Darin nodded excitedly, taking both her instruments and heading out to her mother, who paid Shinwoo.

"Thank you, Mr. Han… Is Miss Loyard alright? I saw her when Darin came in, but you must have finished the lesson."

"Ah, Seira's been feeling a little ill the past few days. She didn't want to let it get in the way of her students' lessons, but it finally caught up with her, I'm afraid. I'm not as skilled as Seira is at these things, but I was able to take over for a little while, ma'am."

"Well, thank you very much, Mr. Han."

"Please, call me Shinwoo. Mr. Han was my father."

"Aha… Of course, Shinwoo. Have a good day, and we hope that Miss Loyard feels better soon." Mrs. Moon said politely, taking Darin out and shutting the door behind them. Shinwoo hurried into Seira's room.

"Seira… Are you alright?" Shinwoo asked. Seira looked at him quietly. "Yes. I wasn't sick in the first place. I just needed time to think. I must remember to apologize to Darin and her mother. How did her lesson go?"

"Great. She's getting a lot better. She's able to tune her violin and her ukulele perfectly."

"Did you cheat? You used biomass to modify her, didn't you?"

"Only a tiny bit. I gave her the ability to tell whether the string was tuned properly by feeling the vibration in the string. She could have learned to do that on her own eventually, but I figured teaching her to do it more quickly is just easier."

"You know how dangerous it is to show our powers to normal humans… Even the slightest display of powers outside human potential could reveal the Nobles' and the Union's existence to the world. We can't allow that to happen."

"I know. I made the transference feel like a pinch. I told her it was pressure point therapy. Pretty sure she believed me."

"Did she even know what pressure point therapy was?" Seira asked. Shinwoo shrugged at this question, causing Seira to laugh lightly. Color rose in Shinwoo's cheeks at Seira's delicate laugh. Seira smiled.

"Perhaps that is for the best. How is your karate school going?" Seira asked. Shinwoo brightened.

"Really well. Three more families just enrolled. I'm planning on opening another school across town. We're already at max capacity in most of my classes."

"That's great. Have you started mixing the two martial arts yet?"

"No. It's strictly a Hapkido studio for now. I'm starting MMA lessons for those interested, though."

"MMA… Mixed Martial Arts? Isn't that just basically boxing?" Seira asked, concerned.

"Oh, no. It is a lot of punching, but it includes kicking and grappling as well. It basically includes aspects of all martial art styles in one.

It was late at night that suddenly Shinwoo felt a sudden sense of anxiety, bolting up in bed, having only just gone to sleep. He had made love to Seira, and fallen asleep shortly after. Now, though, he was wide awake, and his eyes were darting around. He knew what he was feeling. His friends were in immediate danger.

"Excuse me… Miss Seo… Might I trouble you for a moment of your time? I do apologize for bothering you so late… Ah, good morning, Miss Aiello… It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yes… Not nearly long enough, though, Hecate, dear."

"Please don't call me dear. I'm your elder… It would be appropriate to call me Hecate-nim… But, I would settle for Miss Hecate."

"I only address people I respect like that. Your deal with the Devil has made me lose all respect for you. Why are you here?"

"Well, like I said… I wish to borrow Miss Seo… I promise that I have no intention of harming her. I know of your feelings for her. I must confess, she is quite lovely. I could fall for her in an instant if I were that way inclined."

"I'm afraid I'm not available right now. I have a huge test tomorrow. Midterms, you understand, and honestly, I'm not even half ready for them." Yuna lied. The truth was that she knew everything in the book and from the classes by heart. She really only needed a good night's sleep. That was the "studying" she had been doing when she was woken by the knock on her door.

"Mm… I hate doing things this way, but… The boss hasn't given you an option. You will be coming with me. If you come quietly and don't try to fight back, you will not get hurt. That, I can promise you. Your friends, the model and the computer nerd are also being collected at this time, and I can assure you that their captors are not half so understanding or compassionate as I am. I can contact them, though, and tell them that I have your cooperation. Thus, they won't need to harm your friends."

"You can't capture us. I've felt it inside me for a while, but Shinwoo programmed something extra into me for protection. I feel a little tiny sliver of his consciousness wherever I go. If you attack me, no doubt he'll be here in an instant."

"Well, then… I will have to be quick." Hecate said, grabbing at Yuna, being rewarded with a powerful electric shock that seemed to have a mind of its own, coursing through her arm and moving straight to her heart, causing her to collapse to the ground, writing and twitching in agony.

However, after a few minutes, she stood back up, flicking the door, literally splintering it with the force of the shock wave that the flick created, moving into the room and throwing Elisabeth aside and advancing on Yuna. As soon as she got within five meters, though a huge blast of fire exploded in her face, setting her hair and clothes on fire. Hecate dropped to the ground, rolling to put it out. Fortunately, she was able to put it out before it did too much damage.

However, now she was completely naked. Her hair was singed and smelled terrible, so she ripped it out, allowing it to grow back almost as quickly as it was pulled out. She advanced once more, but was stopped from behind this time by Shinwoo, who punched her in the face, crushing her nose flat and breaking her skull rather badly

"Normally, I wouldn't assault a lady, but you merit special circumstances, Miss Hecate. Please do pardon my barbaric behaviour."

"Your accent, Shinwoo… You sound like a Noble. Whoops…" Hecate said, dodging Shinwoo's first attack, and countering, being rebuffed by Shinwoo's vector manipulation. However, she was struck dead on by his second attack.

Shinwoo hit her right in the chest by a powerful telekinetic blast, sending her flying back. However, Shinwoo grabbed her with his telekinesis to prevent undue damage to the dorm rooms. He then pulled her toward him and teleported away to an abandoned location.

"I won't allow you to hurt my friends! No doubt you're trying to threaten them to force my compliance. It won't work, though. I'll kill you, and destroy your body so you can't be resurrected."

"Resurrected? I think you have the wrong impression of the Union. We aren't able to resurrect people. Well, Tesamu-nim may be able to. Most people in the Union aren't, though. Still, I admire your ardor. I will fight you. But I'm over 1,000 years old. I doubt you'll be able to even touch me, even with your Biological Manipulation." Hecate said, seeming to disappear, and reappear behind Shinwoo.

Shinwoo increased the density of his skin for just an instant, so that when Hecate used her claws, she only scratched him. Immediately after, though, she howled loudly, turning into her Werewolf form completely. The howl, Shinwoo estimated, would be heard for dozens of miles around, and cracked rocks and shattered glass all over. Shinwoo closed his ears so that he wouldn't be deafened. Still, he felt shaken by the sudden power of the howl.

This woman was powerful, almost in the same league as Muzaka himself. He knew that he could probably defeat her. But it wouldn't be easy. Suddenly, as he pulled away from her, though, he found that she was inexplicably right in front of him. Her claws moved faster than he could have predicted, and slashed his throat. Fortunately, Shinwoo no longer needed to breathe. Although the cut hurt, he grabbed her arm mid-slash, compressing her wrist, until it hurt, and he heard the bone cracking.

However, she twisted her wrist, cutting Shinwoo's wrist right at the artery, and jumping back, putting a surprising amount of space between them in the blink of an eye. Spatial Manipulation. That was her power. It was a useful power if used correctly. Shinwoo nodded, and breathed deeply, putting up his Vector Manipulation.

As Hecate attacked again, her hand completely regenerated, and she howled again, the power even greater than the last time, Shinwoo deflected the attack, using his Vector Manipulation to stop her in her tracks, releasing a large black tendril of biomass, leaving it to wrap around her arm, trailing its way up her body, and the rest of her body, beginning to absorb her into itself.

Hecate showed a remarkable ability to resist the absorption, proving that she was exceptionally strong willed, able to maintain her bodily integrity to the last. Shinwoo sensed the ability of Body Supremacy in her as he maintained a battle of wills for her biomass. Shinwoo was in a bit of a hurry, though, so he commanded the tendrils to penetrate her body, going through the chest first.

That, he found, was easier said than done. Her bones were coated in something that Shinwoo couldn't quite place. It was like metal, but also not metal. It was completely biological, possessed of the carbon molecules denoting it as "living metal". However, Shinwoo made the tendril denser and much sharper, but also thinner, making it no thicker than a single molecule, boring its way through her sternum and hitting her heart, which was beating much faster than was healthy.

She was clearly scared, terrified even, and her breathing was labored, her heart racing as he surrounded her heart with the tendril, making it thicker and surrounding the rest of the organs individually, putting a concerted effort into each individual organ, feeling them separately, and demanding that they sacrifice their structural integrity and meld with the whole.

Hecate, although she continued to put up an admirable fight for her body, eventually lost, her body being turned into pure biomass and being absorbed into Shinwoo.

"I'm sorry, Hecate. It gave me no pleasure to do this." Shinwoo said, tears filling his eyes at the cruelty he had just been forced to enact. He never liked killing anyone, especially if they were essentially good people, even if they were doing bad things.

Hecate seemed to be an honorable woman, even if she was working for the enemy. It seemed to him when he connected with her mind empathically that she was taking no pleasure in attacking his friends. But for now, he had no time. Suddenly, though, he heard a shriek in his mind, and teleported back to the dorms.

Shinwoo sighed, and pulled the Qo'ostrodium out of the biomass, increasing the quantity, and binding it to his own bones. He felt sure that it would come in handy when he was fighting Tesamu for the second time. He was sure also that Tesamu wouldn't pull any punches, so Shinwoo couldn't afford to hold back, either. He quickly went through all of his abilities, and catalogued once more what he could use them for in a combat situation.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Ah, Han Shinwoo… How do you do this evening? Hm… I guess it's almost morning, isn't it?" Tesamu asked, checking his watch while still advancing on Yuna, who seemed terrified, her Post Traumatic Stress coming back in full force, nearly overwhelming Shinwoo with feelings of illness connected to Yuna's own fear. Shinwoo used his Vector Manipulation to stop Tesamu in his tracks, pulling him toward him.

"I'm sorry, Yuna. He won't bother you any further. Please, go back to bed, if you can, Yuna, Miss Aiello. Oh, Miss Aiello…"

"C'mon… Call me Lisa… Yuna's my friend, why can't I be yours?" Lisa asked. Shinwoo smiled.

"Right, Lisa… Yuna had some… Trouble with Tesamu a year or so ago. I won't go into the details, but… She seems really upset now. Maybe you could talk to her."

"Sure… See ya later, Alex…"

"Shinwoo…" The redhead replied, confused at why she had called him Alex.

"Qualunque cosa." Lisa said dismissively. "Get out of here. Let me take care of the girl, and you deal with the baddies."

"You're a Werewolf, aren't you?" Yuna asked. Lisa's eyes narrowed.

"So? Just because I'm a Werewolf doesn't mean I'm evil! I am _nothing_ like Maduke! NOTHING!" She screamed angrily.

"What? No, that's not it. You're a genetically modified Werewolf, too. Maybe you could turn me into a Werewolf?" She asked. Lisa looked at Yuna blankly for a minute, then laughed hysterically.

"I don't know what crappy horror movies you've been watching, but Werewolves can't turn others into Werewolves. But that's part of why I love you so much." Lisa said, kissing Yuna gently on the lips, only to be pushed away by Yuna.

"Listen… I'm… Flattered, really. I am… But… I'm in a committed and happy relationship."

"Oh, I'm sure Linus would be okay with it. Men find lesbians sexy."

"Well, that might or might not be true… I've never actually asked him his opinion on it. But either way, I'm not okay with it. I'd still like to be friends with you, but… I can't be any more than that…"

"What about best friends?" Lisa asked, looking a little nervous. Yuna smiled.

"I'd like that."

"Oh, and… Yes, I am a Werewolf. I… You're still here, Shinwoo? What? Were you gonna ask if I could make out with your girlfriend or something?"

"Ahaha! No, no interest in that, and I'll kill you if you try, ahahaha!" Shinwoo said, laughing cheerfully along with Lisa, then finishing, "seriously, I'll paralyze you from the neck down, and while you're begging for mercy, I'll rip your head from your shoulders." He said, still smiling brightly. Yuna seemed horrified by Shinwoo's statement. Shinwoo seemed distressed as well, though.

"I'm sorry. I'll go now. Let's go, Tesamu." Shinwoo said, grabbing Tesamu's wrist and teleporting away.

"Now, Tesamu, are your other goons going after my other friends?"

"Yes. Let's see… Ignes-nim was going after your friend, the model… Ignes has been known to swing for both teams, shall we say. I think the former Clan Leader will enjoy the opportunity."

"I see… And Ikhan?" Shinwoo asked, trying to keep himself calm.

"Well, I sent Melchior after him. I doubt he'll be very interesting. A MENSA individual, not much talent in sports or physical activity as I understand. Don't worry. Melchior won't hurt him… He'll just kill him quickly."

"Aha… Well, if you'll excuse me…" Shinwoo said, teleporting directly next to Tesamu and grabbing his temple, forcing his way into Tesamu's head. In invading the First Elder's mind, Shinwoo found that it was like an ocean; dark, deep and ice cold. His thoughts were remote and unlike those of any human he had ever seen or felt the thoughts of in his life. Even Raizel's, Raskreia's and Muzaka's thoughts were not this inhuman. It was a little bit frightening, and Shinwoo found himself shivering.

Tesamu was easily able to mimic normal human behavior and reactions, but he was nothing like a human anymore. But Shinwoo separated thoughts from each other, travelling along the thought lines to their logical conclusions which in many cases seemed anything but logical until he reached a literal library in Tesamu's mind.

" _A Memory Palace. Well, this should be relatively easy to find what I'm looking for in."_

Shinwoo walked in, contacting the palace and demanding the location of Ignes Kravei.

 _File does not exist. No such individual_

" _Location of Fourth Elder."_

 _File does not exist. Fourth Elder, Roktis Kravei, deceased. Fate: Eternal Sleep._

" _Location of Roktis Kravei's daughter."_

 _File does not exist. No such individual._

" _Location of Former Kravei Clan Leader."_

 _File does not exist. No such individual. Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Security protocol 5-3-8.93/H-10 activated…_

 _ **Deactivate security protocols. Allow subject Han Shinwoo access to file Biocontractor F-3 Location.**_

 _Yes, Master. Access granted. Biocontractor F-3 Location Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France. Local time 12:00 pm. Local weather, rainy. Temperature 12.78_ _o_ _C. Thank you._

Shinwoo temporarily froze time around Tesamu, freezing him in place, calling his clones mentally.

 _Shinwoos, mobilize. Three of you go to Tokyo, Japan to accost the 6_ _th_ _Elder of the Union. Two of you meet me in Paris, France at the Notre Dame Cathedral. Wear French police uniforms. Teleport somewhere inconspicuous. Alter your appearances so that you look like separate people. Carry out friend defense protocols._

" _Confirmed. Should we take Seira?"_

 _No. Tell her where you're going, but request that she stay. She will refuse, and you can take her with you then. She wouldn't stay behind when her friends are being attacked._

" _Confirmed. Signing out."_

Shinwoo teleported to Paris, all while changing his clothes, and appeared in a back alley near Notre Dame, hearing a commotion near the cathedral.

"Pardone-moi, Madame… Savez-vous ce qu'il s'est passé?" Shinwoo asked as two other officers that Shinwoo recognized as his clones approached.

"Oui!"

"Oui. D'autres officiers seront bientôt prêts à prendre votre déclaration. Où sont-ils allés?"

"De cette facon!" She said, pointing with her right hand. Shinwoo ran down the road, using his aura detection, spreading it out to the entire city, and looking for Ignes' aura. Eventually, he felt it in a seedy motel.

He ran in and demanded the room number, describing the women. The desk clerk gave him the key, and Shinwoo ran up the stairs, kicking in the door, finding Ignes in a state of partial undress, and Suyi's clothes torn.

"Shinwoo… It's so good you're here. Maybe you can calm her down a bit. I like my women feisty, but she's putting up a little bit too much of a fight, even for me."

"Good, good. I programmed her to fight back. I'll explain all of this as soon as I can, Suyi… I am sorry I programmed things into you without telling you, but I wasn't sure how well it would work, and I didn't want you to be relying on them if they weren't going to work." Shinwoo said apologetically to Suyi, turning then to Ignes.

"Oh, how did the defense program work?"

"A little too well. I was blasted over ten meters by a huge explosion that I couldn't control with my pyrokinesis, prevented from touching her for over thirty minutes by a telekinetic shield, injured repeatedly and severely by my standard by vector manipulation, and had my hand mangled by bone protrusions." Ignes said, holding a hand up that wasn't cut, but looked slightly raw still. "Oh, and when she punched me the first time, it broke my nose and cracked my skull. I had to punish her for such insolence.

"It wasn't her fault, really, but I am a fairly vindictive woman once you get to know me. You haven't let me have my fun with her, though, so I'm going to have to punish you as well. I've enhanced myself further since we last met. I took detailed information on your abilities and I think I can counter most of them, now."

"I see. Physical combat, then." Shinwoo said, clenching his fists, and projecting 12 inch serrated metal claws from his fists, and absorbing his shoes, projecting similar claws from them, running at Ignes, grabbing her and teleporting to a hillside outside of Paris, and punching her, his claws getting entangled in her whip, Leviathan. Ignes twisted the whip, sending Shinwoo flying into the air. Shinwoo teleported out of the grip, though, and put some space between them with spatial manipulation.

He then breathed Absolute Zero temperature cold at her, not succeeding since her fire was significantly hotter since the last time they met. Shinwoo waved his arm, dispersing the fire, and using vector manipulation to repel her next physical attack. The two clashed again, this time with Shinwoo leaving long gouges on her arm that nonetheless healed rapidly. Shinwoo had an idea, though. He could continue to do battle normally with Ignes, or he could step up his game.

He had never tried to manifest his Dark Aura Manipulation as an actual weapon before, and that was really more Frankenstein's thing. But he manifested his Soul Weapon.

"Well, here we go…" Shinwoo said, a Kusarigama manifesting in his hands. Suddenly, though, he channeled Dark Aura into it, sending out the chain to wrap around Ignes.

Ignes, thinking it was just a regular weight, put up her arm, letting it wrap around it. As soon as it did, though, she felt a burning sensation travelling down her arm, through her body as wounds began to open up all over her body.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't tell me you don't recognize the Dark Spear? Well, Dark Kusarigama. I essentially copied Frankenstein's abilities from over a year of sparring with him and watching his abilities. Mine isn't quite as great as his, but it gets the job done, and with the addition of a new soul, I suspect that it will become commensurately more powerful.

"Still, I don't want to come across as uncharitable. If you'll lay down your weapon, surrender unconditionally and agree to enter my service under my close, personal supervision, I won't kill you."

"Never, trash!"

"Oh, phew!" Shinwoo said. "I was kind of hoping you'd say that. I can't stand babysitting, especially noxious little monsters like you. Well, can't say I didn't try." Shinwoo said, his aura suddenly glowing blood red, flecks of blood from both their wounds flying out into the air surrounding them. Ignes looked around, scared now.

"What? How did you copy the Noblesse's power!? Monster!"

"Me? No. I do possess Haemokinesis, and I can, for instance, do this." Shinwoo said, gripping his hand and tearing a few muscles in Ignes' arm, causing her to scream out in agony.

"Or this." Shinwoo said, gripping her heart telekinetically for a few seconds, causing even further pain.

"But… You know, this doesn't have to be an agonizing death for you. You may have sexually assaulted one of my best friends, but you can still repent.

"However, it's not my forgiveness you need to seek, it's Suyi's. I know, she's beautiful, right?" Shinwoo asked with a sheepish laugh. I'd ask you not to tell Seira I said, but I doubt you'll survive to tell her. Sorry." Shinwoo said, smiling ruefully and manifesting Prometheus.

"Evolve, Prometheus!" Shinwoo said, a simple pair of Tonfa appearing in his hands. Ignes stared at the tonfa for a moment before bursting into hysterical laughter.

" _That's_ your so-called Soul Weapon!? It's pitiful! I can barely feel any change in your aura! Well, I suppose it comes of not being a Noble by birth. I guess you really _can't_ become one. You're either born one or you're not. Sad, but I suppose it's a relief, in a way. If you humans could so easily become Clan Leaders, we'd be out of luck. Anyway, I'd love to get you on a table and dissect you. But I doubt you'd allow that."

"You'd be right. But enough talk. I have no interest in anything you have to say." Shinwoo said, moving even faster than Ignes thought he had before. Strangely, he wasn't teleporting or using Spatial Manipulation. It was strictly physical. Suddenly, Shinwoo's weapon impacted with what felt like the force of the Ru Clan but the speed of the Kertia Clan, sending Ignes crashing into a rock formation, crushing it to powder beneath her. Ignes groaned, standing up and manifesting her weapon again.

This time, she channeled fire more powerful even than before, transforming the air around the whip to plasma. As the whip crackled through the air, the very structure of the air rippling around the incredible power and heat generated, it impacted with Shinwoo's hand as the young Biouser caught the whip in his bare hand, and forced it out of Ignes' grip, channeling Dark Aura into it.

He had evolved Dark Aura Manipulation into himself, using the data from his sparring matches with Frankenstein and the RK, and of course, from Frankenstein's notes that he occasionally let Shinwoo borrow. The notes were interesting, and the progress that Shinwoo made from reading through them was beyond anything he could have imagined. That was when he got an even better idea.

He felt the Soul Weapon, feeling for the source of its power, the souls, the singularity of soul energy that had powered the Clan Leaders' Soul Weapons since time immemorial. He breathed deeply, and absorbed the weapon, taking the souls' bioenergy for himself. This was so that there was no way that Ignes could restore the Soul Weapon, even if she did somehow manage to survive this. Ignes roared in outrage and despair at having her strongest weapon destroyed.

"How dare you! YOU FILTHY HUMAN! HOW DARE YOU DESTROY THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF MY CLAN'S LEADERS!? I'LL DESTROY YOU!"

"Come take care of that, then." Shinwoo said, holding up the Tonfa, transforming it into a Kusarigama again, flinging the sickle end at Ignes, and leaving a long, deep cut on her face, slicing open her cheek open rather viciously. Ignes screamed in pain and rage, countering with a plasma blast.

Shinwoo dodged, watching as the plasma adhered to the rock, turning it into lava. The next shot of plasma Ignes shot at Shinwoo, he stopped it with his telekinesis, sending it back at Ignes, who dispersed it into the air, leaving a crackling electrical storm surrounding her. Shinwoo then threw his sickle end again, cutting Ignes lightly this time, distracting her and surrounding his hand with Dark Aura, spearhanding her through the stomach, grabbing the organ, and channeling the Dark Aura into it.

Ignes gasped in agony as Dark Aura began to devour her from the inside out.

"No! Please! I-I'll give you anything you want! It's not…" She said, sighing with relief as Shinwoo retracted the Dark Aura, pulling his hand out of her stomach.

"I have centuries of scientific notes! Surely Frankenstein would be able to use them to his benefit! I'll give them to you if you let me go!" She shouted. Shinwoo laughed.

"Hm… Tempting, but I think I'll have to pass." Shinwoo said, depleting the space that Ignes had created between them, and grabbing her by the face, tendrils of biomass piercing her face, and moving down her neck and into the rest of her body, absorbing her.

"Hmmm… You're not nearly as powerful as your Werewolf friend. She was able to resist for so much longer." Shinwoo said thoughtfully, finishing the Absorption, and teleporting away.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Good evening, Woo Ikhan. My name is Melchior Aloisi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Huh? What are you doing here? It's 12:30 in the morning." Ikhan said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Go away…" Ikhan finished angrily. Melchior sighed.

"I'm afraid I cannot leave. But we don't have to be enemies. Would you care to play a game of Chess?" The very tall man asked. Ikhan's eyes lit up.

"Sure! I've got a board right in here! Hey, Kenta, I'm heading out." Ikhan said. Kenta waved his hand, yawning and going back to sleep. Melchior smiled politely.

"You must be more athletic than you look, Woo Ikhan. You have many trophies for Judo in your room." Melchior said politely, sitting down across from Ikhan at a table. The lights were on overhead, though the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, so they wouldn't be for long.

"Thank you. Would you like to be black or white, Aloisi-ssi?"

"Please, call me Melchior. I'll be black. You may go first." Aloisi said politely, considering the board for a long moment, even after Ikhan moved before moving his own piece. The two went on like this for a while in complete silence before Ikhan spoke.

"So, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why are you here? Surely you didn't come all the way to Tokyo at 12:30 in the morning just to play a game of Chess with some college student?"

"Of course not. Technically, my orders were to hold you captive. You were meant to be collateral in the event that your friend, Han Shinwoo refused to cooperate with Lord Tesamu. My cohorts, Ignes Kravei and Hecate have accosted your other friends.

"Hecate may be a Werewolf, but she's a gentle soul by and large. Ignes Kravei, I doubt would be so charitable. I've seen a picture of your two lady friends. They're quite attractive. I've no doubt that they're just Ignes's type. I don't know which cohort accosted which friend. But either way, one of them is likely in a bad situation."

"You don't scare me. Shinwoo will be here in no time."

"Ah, good. You've called him?" Melchior asked, moving his piece, taking one of Ikhan's knights.

"Hmm… Good move." Ikhan said passively. "No. I don't need to call him. We're connected by a thin empathic line at almost all times. As long as we're awake, he'll know our general condition. My surprise at seeing you should be more than enough to alert him to skullduggery." Ikhan said, retaliating by taking Melchior's Queen.

"You're an excellent Chess player, Ikhan. This is the finest game I've played in years. Even Ignes isn't so skilled at Chess." Melchior said, playing with his Rook before he moved it across the board, taking Ikhan's other Bishop.

"Check." He said quietly. Ikhan had trouble understanding this man. He was a member of the Union, the most powerful organization in the world. He was clearly very powerful and intelligent.

However, he seemed to enjoy playing a game of Chess with a college student. Ikhan knew that he was very good at Chess, very intelligent, almost to a superhuman degree now. But he couldn't understand Melchior's goal.

"You needn't worry that I intend to harm you, Woo Ikhan. You seem like a nice young man. There are members of the Union who feel contempt for unmodified humans.

"I don't consider myself to be like that. You've proven yourself to be a remarkable young man, in spite of your light to moderate modifications. Han Shinwoo did an excellent job on you. Tell me how he did it, if you would be so good."

"I decline. I won't surrender Shinwoo's secrets. Check." Ikhan said quietly, taking Melchior's other Knight and putting his King in jeopardy."

"Well played." Melchior said, surveying the board. A small smile came to his face as he moved his other Rook into position.

"Checkmate. You should check the board before you concede defeat. There's always a chance I missed something."

Ikhan looked over the board, scanning for any possible legal move that he could make. Unfortunately, most of the pieces he had that were powerful enough to defend his King were either taken or not in position. Ikhan smiled, reaching out to shake Melchior's hand.

"Good game, Mel… That was the most fun I've had in a while." Ikhan said happily. Melchior nodded.

"Yes, for me as well. Your friend should be here soon. As soon as he gets here, unfortunately, I'm sure I'll have to fight him. If what I understand to be true about him is true, he won't let me holding you hostage go." Melchior said, seeming sad that this had to be the case. "In actuality, I'd love it if you would join the Union, yourself. You're intelligent, and I've seen some of your work. Your algorithm for locating modified humans was genius.

"We could use a computer expert like you in our numbers. But I couldn't ask you to sacrifice your friendships just to join a villainous organization such as mine." Melchior said, suddenly seeming terribly tired.

"If the circumstances were different, I'm sure I'd be happy to join your organization. But my friends… They've had terrible experiences with the Union, and I don't think they'd believe that anyone in the Union is good. I've felt your aura, tasted your voice. You're a good person. But I can't join you."

"I knew you'd say that. Regardless, Shinwoo is here now. Good morning, Han Shinwoo. It's a pleasure to finally be able to talk to you.

"My name is Melchior Aloisi, Sixth Elder, and Biocontractor to First Elder, Tesamu-nim. I know you have nothing to say to me, so maybe we could just get our fight over with." The Sixth Elder said, bowing politely upon standing, surprising Shinwoo with how polite and gentle he seemed. Despite being muscled like a tank and being almost six and a half feet tall on top of looking fairly intimidating, Shinwoo could tell that he had good intentions.

"I pray that your other friends, Miss Suyi and Miss Yuna were not harmed in the interim?" Aloisi asked, seeming genuinely concerned. "Ignes-nim is none too gentle, especially with individuals whom she catalogues as 'her type', and Hecate-nim is a good person, but used to a combative lifestyle. Before we start, I'd like to know that your friends are alright." He said softly.

"They're fine. Yuna is a little shaken up from having to see the man who sexually assaulted her, and Suyi is equally shaken from having a psychopath trying to assault her. But they've both been absorbed by me. Shame, really. Hecate seemed like a good person. Ignes, I had no qualms about killing."

"I don't blame you. I hope their situations can be rectified. But, you didn't come here to talk. You no doubt came here to kill me. So, I invite you to try." Melchior said, suddenly moving into action, serrated blades erupting from his fists. Shinwoo analyzed his movements as he attacked, and dodged the first few strikes, leaping onto the table, twisting and kicking Melchior in the face.

 _Shinwoo! Don't kill him! He's a good man! Maybe… Please try to reason with him first!_

" _I'm not sure that I can. But I'll try… For you, Ikhan."_ Shinwoo replied, holding his hands up, activating powerful telekinesis to freeze Melchior in place.

"Melchior Aloisi… Ikhan has… Asked me to attempt to reason with you first, to… Use diplomacy. I'm not sure that's possible. There have been select situations where a Union agent has been convinced to join our cause. Tao… Takeo… M-21… Hell, even Yuizi. But… These are the exception, not the rule. You, yourself seem to have a good heart, and a good head on your shoulders. I really wouldn't take any pleasure in killing you. So you have a choice."

"I'm afraid there is no choice, Han Shinwoo. You realize of course that if I were to turn on Tesamu-nim, that he would likely activate some failsafe he set inside me and kill me. My sense of self-preservation is strong enough that I couldn't allow that to happen. I do hope you understand."

"I do. Well, then, battle on." Shinwoo said, thrusting his hand out, throwing Melchior across the lawn just as the first few students started walking out of the dorms.

Sunlight was beginning to hit the quad, and the first students saw the move, and immediately assumed that it was an act for a movie. Shinwoo moved much faster than humanly possible, advancing on Melchior and kicking him in the face, sending him to the ground, only to be rewarded with an attempted claw strike at his mid-section. Fortunately, it only cut his clothes, his skin long having become too dense to be cut so easily.

Shinwoo growled, repairing his clothes and tripping Melchior, grabbing his leg and doing an elbow strike at his knee. Although the strike hurt his elbow, since the knee had Qo'ostrodium laced in it, the knee shattered, sending Melchior into a screaming fit of pain. Shinwoo used that opportunity to connect with Melchior's mind, finding any possible self-destruct sequences, even ones that Melchior himself may not have been aware of. Eventually, he found one, and breathed in, destroying it.

"There, your self-destruct button has been deactivated. I won't force you to join us, but you're welcome to." Shinwoo said kindly. In addition, he breathed out, releasing Hecate, who looked around, seeming at a loss for where she was.

"Hecate…"

"Who? Who is Hecate? Who am I?"

"Ah…" Shinwoo said sheepishly. "You may have some temporary memory loss. It's likely a result of the traumatic circumstances surrounding your absorption. I can attempt to mitigate that if you'll allow me." He said kindly. Hecate nodded nervously, and Shinwoo gently placed his thumbs on her temples, breathing in and out slowly, rhythmically, setting gears in motion that would empathically jump start her memory.

After a few minutes, Hecate gasped.

"Han Shinwoo! How did we get here!? What happened!? Why am I naked!?" She demanded. Shinwoo blushed slightly, holding her hand and making some clothes appear. They weren't what she had been wearing before. It was a simple pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt. But they would serve for the time.

"Sorry. Hecate, I've eliminated any control or leverage that Tesamu may have had over you. The same goes for you, Melchior. You are free to do as you please. My job is done. You can continue to attempt to capture my friends and me. But you should know by now that such attempts are futile. I suspect that you were mere distractions for me. You're free to join our side, though. I'm certain that Frankenstein would have use for you, highly advanced modified beings that you are."

"We'll… We'd be honoured to join you, Han Shinwoo… We are in your debt for sparing our lives." Hecate said reverently, bowing to Shinwoo, who shook his head.

"Never in my debt. Let's see… Melchior has already met Ikhan… Hecate… This is Woo Ikhan… Woo Ikhan, this is former Thirteenth Elder Hecate. Let's see… I'm guessing you're over 1,000 years old, given the memories I attained from absorbing you."

"Wow… You're really beautiful, Hecate-ssi…"

"Oh, well thank you… I don't know that I've heard that very often. Men are usually frightened by me."

"Not me! Some of my best friends are Werewolves… We've got mid-terms soon, but maybe after when I pass with flying colors, you'd do me the honor of allowing me to take you to a movie?"

"A movie?" Hecate asked, a little bit surprised that this boy was so eager.

"That would be… What you humans call fun." She said uncertainly. She had never been to a movie before, though she had occasionally wanted to see one. She had only ever been to the theater. She had seen plays, operas, and orchestras, but never an actual movie theater.

"Great! Can I get your phone number?"

"I don't have a phone… Wait… What's this in my pocket?" She asked, feeling a bump in her sweatpants.

"Why don't you check and find out?" Shinwoo asked. She reached in and took out a sleek black smartphone that felt almost biological in nature.

"Shinwoo… You… You made this?"

"Yep, and it's the latest model… Just got put out two seconds ago. You're the first person ever to own one."

"I'm touched. Shit! Shinwoo, you need to go, now! Your friends are still in terrible danger! We were nothing but distractions for Tesamu to put his plan into motion!" Hecate cried desperately. Shinwoo immediately teleported away.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Good morning, Han Shinwoo. It's a pleasure to finally see you again. I take it you've saved your friends… Well, your human friends, anyway, hmhmhm…" Tesamu said with a devious smirk.

"Sadly, in order to force your compliance, I've had to take some rather drastic measures. Come, see…" The First Elder finished. Shinwoo approached, gasping as he saw Seira, Regis, Rael, M-21, Tao, Takeo, and Yuizi all unconscious, looking as though they'd been beaten to within an inch of their lives.

"You bastard! Shinwoo shouted, feelings of rage suddenly consuming him as his aura poured off of him in heavy, oppressive waves. His Dark Aura began to become overwhelming. Rael and Seira stirred slightly, with Seira looking up weakly.

"Sh-Shinwoo… You shouldn't… B-be here. Save your other friends first."

"I've already saved them." Shinwoo said, seeming to regain his composure. "Hecate and Melchior have agreed to begin serving Frankenstein. I've broken your control over them. It wasn't hard. With Melchior, I only needed to talk to him, and Hecate, I killed and absorbed, but I reformed her. She still is a little bit sketchy on her memories, but with her regeneration, I'm certain that she'll bounce back."

"I see… You had no right to take my things. They were my possessions, and some of my finest work. But I can appreciate a job well done. So permit me to offer you congratulations." Tesamu said politely. "Must we really do battle? Your friends are not seriously injured. They'll recover if you let them, and be good as new. I only captured them in order to force your hand."

"And you have. But we have to fight. You've threatened my friends and family. I have no biological family left, but these people are family just as surely as if I'd been born with them. Your threats against them are unacceptable. So come, do battle with me. This will be our final confrontation, and so I hope you'll put all that you have into it. I certainly plan to." Shinwoo said, clenching his fists and pushing out his claws, allowing Tesamu to see that they were coated in Qo'ostrodium.

"I'm impressed, Han Shinwoo. You've incorporated my Biocontractors' Qo'ostrodium into yourself. You really have come a long way since last we battled." Tesamu said, creating a longsword out of biomass, running his fingers along it, cutting himself to prove how sharp it was. Shinwoo launched himself at Tesamu, slashing wildly at him with his left hand, and thrusting with his right hand, being blocked by his longsword.

Shinwoo twisted his hand, though, separating the two of them and punching again, upwards this time, aiming to impale Tesamu's head through his neck. Tesamu moved to block him, but failed, and grimaced as the serrated metal pierced his neck, going up into his brain. Shinwoo immediately pulled it out, twisting his hand as he did to exacerbate the damage. However, almost as soon as he pulled out, Tesamu was fully healed.

Shinwoo leapt in the air, trying again what he had tried over a year ago when he had fought Tesamu the first time, calling to all the rats in the city. Surely, there would be even more, now. They weren't as virile anymore, but in a year's span, there should at least be several thousand. He could hear the chittering in his mind. He lowered himself back to the ground, manifesting his Soul Weapon, holding a razor sharp suburito in one hand and charging a magical attack with the other.

With his left hand, Shinwoo charged an ultra-dense ball of mana, flicking it at Tesamu, who tried to dodge, and managed at first, but then, it hit his leg, burrowing into it and expanding, vaporizing his entire lower body and cauterizing the wound with a blast of ultra-heated plasma.

"I'm impressed, Han Shinwoo." Tesamu said, lifting himself in the air with telekinesis, taking the sword he had and slicing off the part of his body that had been cauterized in one rapid slice.

"You've improved so much. It's a shame really that you don't have an interest in working for us, for me. I've already begun to enforce change in the Union. It's no longer the organization you believe it to be. New Elders are coming into power, and they will be thoroughly scanned for evil thoughts.

"However, my methods do seem problematic to outsiders, so I understand your unwillingness to join. Plus, your lovely fiancée, I doubt would appreciate such action. I did not harm them unduly, by the way, merely rendered them incapable of fighting. Their injuries look worse than they are." Tesamu said. Shinwoo growled angrily, watching as Tesamu completely regenerated his lower body. Shinwoo had sensed something for a long time in Tesamu.

It was something that was difficult to notice because it had been so long repressed, so long buried. But there was still good in Tesamu. It wasn't readily visible. But Shinwoo knew from how Frankenstein had spoken of him that Tesamu had once had only the best intentions. He wanted to learn from Frankenstein so that he could save people, help people. Shinwoo closed his eyes, reaching out with his Goodness Sense, reaching deep inside Tesamu's soul to find that tiny piece of good that must still have existed.

Eventually, he found it, only dodging Tesamu's attacks, and occasionally countering if only to stall for time. Shinwoo could feel a bright, shining light inside Tesamu. He breathed in, and began to work to magnify that sense of goodness, the sense of obligation to do good in the world. He began pulling, knowing that the sudden feeling of remorse that Tesamu would inevitably feel would be terribly painful. But it was necessary. He didn't have to kill Tesamu, he hoped.

He mixed his telepathy, working his empathic powers to their utmost to draw out that kindhearted little boy that Frankenstein had described. Eventually, Shinwoo could do no more, so he let go, and watched as Tesamu's face went from infuriated to shocked to horrified.

"W-what have you done!?"

"I've brought out the good in you, forced it to the surface again. After so many centuries of doing evil, it must be painful to see what you've done in terms of its effect on others."

"No! Take it back!" Tesamu roared, tears flooding his bright golden eyes as he fell to his knees, gripping his head, memories and feelings long suppressed flooding back into his mind. He had hurt so many. He was feeling the pain of all his victims, and it felt like he was about to be torn apart.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion, and Tesamu disappeared in a giant blast. Shinwoo could still sense his soul somewhere in the world, so he hadn't killed himself, or willed himself out of existence. But he was far away. Shinwoo wasted no more time, running to his friends and unbinding them, hugging Seira, kissing her gently.

"Seira… Are you alright?" Shinwoo asked. Seira nodded.

"Yes. I am fine. What did you do? Why did he react so violently?"

"I brought his conscience to the surface. Someone either has a conscience or they don't. One can suppress it after years of doing evil, years of convincing oneself that their desires are more important than anyone else's. But that conscience never goes away. Its voice becomes smaller, less significant, more easily ignored. But it's never gone.

"I only had to magnify that conscience, force him to face his sins." Shinwoo said gently, looking at the rest of those tied up, using biomass to heal them properly. After a few moments, they all looked fit to move around again.

"Shinwoo… That was an amazing battle. Your power has increased so much…" Tao said, seeming a little bit intimidated.

"Oh, speaking of which, how is your power coming? What do you have to report? I really should have checked in earlier, but…"

"No worries. Let's see… I seem to be developing an ability to communicate telepathically with machines. My physical strength hasn't actually increased that much, but my mental facilities seem to have become drastically greater."

"Mm, I'm not too surprised. I didn't have enough time to study the effects of the upgraded virus, so I'm not entirely familiar with its effects on modified humans.

"It's likely that it will tailor itself to abilities you already possess. What about your senses? How has it affected your vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch?"

"Well, I've needed to start putting earplugs in at night. Even spiders clicking seem to be deafening at the moment."

"I see… Any confusion of senses, a sort of synesthesia?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Some of the children have developed Synesthesia. It was important to ask. Have you been training your new abilities, or just using your technopathy to goof around?" Shinwoo asked critically. Tao laughed.

"How could you even ask that! My control over the Dark Aura has increased as well. Watch this." He said, generating a flickering black whip out of the dark aura that he possessed. He didn't have enough power in it yet to generate an entire spear, but something as thin as a whip was doable.

"Good… And you, Takeo?"

"My eyesight has been enhanced beyond anything I could imagine. I'm gaining a limited level of X-ray vision. I can't see everything, just shadows right now, and it's hard to control when I'm not focusing. My hearing and other senses have also been enhanced, but I can literally zoom in on targets with just my eyes. I don't need a scope anymore except for the longest distance targets. My physical and mental abilities have increased, though not drastically.

"My control over the dark aura has increased as well. I can shoot pure dark energy bullets. It's really quite useful. I still carry regular bullets with me on missions in case I accidentally overuse my dark aura. But in most cases, it's a nonissue."

"Excellent. Yuizi… I've really neglected your case. I must apologize. How is your situation coming?"

"Really well. I'm starting to develop the ability to instinctually target weak points in individual bodies for my sword strikes, whether they be weaknesses in the bones, or vulnerable areas in their defenses to strike, my swordplay is getting better for it. My speed and strength have increased the most, although durability has been enhanced somewhat as well as my senses and mental abilities."

"Hm… The beginnings of psychic instincts. That's impressive. And you've all been training adequately with your new powers?" Shinwoo asked. They all nodded.

"Rael, Regis, are you two alright? Seira should regenerate completely soon. You two, I'm more worried about." Shinwoo said, looking in Regis's eyes, then at Rael, looking over their bodies to see if there were any serious injuries.

"We're fine! He may have beaten us, but we're not dead!" Rael snapped. "We're Nobles! We've survived much worse than this!" Shinwoo laughed.

"Tell us, though… Did you coat your bones with steel? That was some right Wolverine shit you pulled with Tesamu!" Tao said cheerfully. Shinwoo shook his head.

"Not steel. It's a biometal called Qo'ostrodium. I'm assuming that Tesamu created it. It's got carbon in it, making it biological in nature. I think it may have trace levels of nitrogen as well. But it's been rearranged so that it's fifty times stronger than steel, and it won't rust… Which is good. Wouldn't want rusting metal in my body, right?"

"How did you get it?"

"I absorbed some of Tesamu's Biocontractors. Other Elders who agreed to serve Tesamu. A Werewolf and a Noble. You two know the Noble. Ignes. She's dead, now, or at least a part of me. She won't be a threat any longer. The traitor Nobles are all gone." Shinwoo said. Rael, Regis and Seira seemed surprised. Rael spoke first.

"You absorbed Ignes Kravei? Good. She really was a disgrace to the Noble race."

"And a danger. When I caught up with her, she was practically molesting Suyi. The other two were good people. Hecate was a Werwolf, and I defeated her and absorbed her, but I released her on the understanding that she would serve Frankenstein. The same is true of Melchior. Ikhan vouched for him. We're about to get some new friends. Speaking of which, I need to get going.

"Gotta bring those two back here. They're currently in Japan." Shinwoo said, teleporting away, and coming back seconds later with two more people with him.

"Everyone… This is Hecate… And this is Melchior Aloisi."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Melchior said politely, bowing to the group. Hecate seemed distinctly out of place, though, not saying anything, just looking around nervously.

"There's nothing to worry about, Cate… Tesamu is gone… No, no. I didn't kill him. I forced him to reconnect with his conscience. It was buried pretty deep in him, but I managed to pull it out, somehow. He teleported away, I'm not sure where, exactly. I need to go make sure Suyi and Yuna are alright. Ikhan seemed to be getting along pretty well with Melchior."

"Cate?" Hecate asked, confused slightly. She'd never had a nickname before. Shinwoo nodded, and continued talking.

"But Suyi was accosted by Ignes and Yuna was accosted by Tesamu. So yeah, not a good situation." Shinwoo said, teleporting away once more, but not before telling them to bring the two newcomers to Frankenstein's home. The rest nodded, and led Hecate and Melchior to Frankenstein's place.

"Hey, Suyi! Sorry I took so long. Are you alright?" Shinwoo asked, knocking on the door rather loudly. Moments later, Suyi came out and answered the door, having just stepped out of the shower.

"Huh? Yeah. I'm fine. It was a bit surprising. I've been hit on aggressively by a lot of guys in the past, but not many women. They usually take the hint a bit better. I'm fine."

"Okay… Listen, I'm sorry I programmed all that into you without telling you."

"No, it's fine. If you hadn't, I'm sure that black haired woman would've been halfway through raping me by the time you got here. It actually all turned out for the best. What abilities are still in me, though?" Suyi asked. Shinwoo thought for a moment.

"What effects happened?"

"Let's see… There was a huge blast that sent her flying."

"A telekinetic explosion."

"I suddenly breathed fire."

"Pyrokinetic breath attack."

"She tried to grab me and was flung away."

"Vector control attack. Anything else?"

"Yeah… Her entire body froze when she touched me."

"Cryokinetic attack. Okay, let's see… You might have a few more defenses in you. Let me see." Shinwoo said, gently taking her arm in his hand and closing his eyes.

"Mm… Yes. Osteokinetic attack. Bone spikes will shoot out and impale anyone assaulting you. Don't worry, you'll heal more quickly than you normally would. After the bone spikes recede, temporary regenerative healing takes place. You've also got laser vision, teleportation… It will take you to my side or the side of one of my clones if I'm, for whatever reason, unavailable, animal transformation. You'll turn into a mouse, and when your body senses that you're no longer in danger, you'll turn back.

"Hmm… That should be it. You've got a few last resort moves, like the animal transformation and the teleport. You've got high level attacks like laser vision, and a low level attack like osteokinetic attacks and regeneration. There may be some others, but I can't find them right now."

"That's good. Wouldn't bones suddenly sticking out of my body hurt, though?"

"Not nearly as much as a knife sticking in you." Shinwoo countered.

"Now, I'm glad you're alright. It's good to see you again. I have to go see Yuna. She got accosted by Tesamu, and she was kind of freaking out… Understandably so. Pardonez-moi, mademoiselle." Shinwoo said, finishing in French and teleporting away to Yuna's location. He knocked on her door as well, though Lisa answered.

"Oh, the virus freak. Haven't you done enough tonight?" She asked. "Our room is a mess, Yuna is still freaking out, and I need to get to sleep so I can at least pass the mid-term later today."

"What's your mid-term on?" Shinwoo asked.

"Anatomy." Lisa said. Shinwoo nodded, and flicked her in the forehead, instilling encyclopedic knowledge of anatomy into her.

"There. Now, if all goes well, you should get 100."

"What did you do?"

"What do you mean? I planted a complete knowledge of everyrhing even remotely related to anatomy in your brain. Isn't that obvious?"

"Isn't that cheating?"

"No. You'll be pulling the knowledge from your own mind, not getting the answers from a piece of paper you wrote them on, or a pencil, or whatever. It's perfectly legitimate." Shinwoo said. "Now please move. I need to see Yuna. She is my patient." Shinwoo said, walking past Lisa and kneeling down in front of Yuna.

"Yuna… I'm sorry all this happened. I can wipe your memory of the last eight hours from your mind if that would make you feel better. If it helps, Tesamu has been utterly defeated. He's not dead, but I forced his conscience, atrophied as it was, to the surface and magnified it. He felt so guilty about what he's done that he seems to have disappeared. I know he's still alive, but I don't know where he is." Shinwoo whispered.

"Oh, Shinwoo… Thank you. I'm sorry, too… We're always such a burden to you."

"Nonsense. You're my best friends. You could never be a burden to me. I'd travel to the ends of the earth to help any of you. Now, what would you like me to do? I could wipe your memories and the associated emotions of the last six to eight hours from your mind. But… You'd essentially be left as a blank slate for that time.

"It could be confusing. I could also make you remember dreams that didn't actually happen so you'd think you were asleep the whole time. We wouldn't want you flunking your midterm because of this nasty little incident."

"I-I would appreciate that. Thank you, Shinwoo…" Yuna said, blushing slightly. She had been so upset up to now. Now, though, she was sure it was going to be alright.

Shinwoo nodded, hugging Yuna tightly and gently putting his thumb on her forehead, isolating the memories and feelings of the last few hours, and eliminating them. As he did this, Yuna felt her consciousness slipping away, and the world of sleep surrounding her. Finally Shinwoo finished, and implanted some dreams into her mind in such a way that they wouldn't be too prominent in her mind. She would believe that she was just dreaming.

"Okay. I'm done. I can help you clean up if you like, Lisa…"

"I would appreciate that. But this is mine and Yuna's room. I can clean up on my own. I wouldn't want you touching my panties."

"Oh, no need to worry about that." Shinwoo said, lifting up everything on the floor with telekinesis, using a programmed function to send clothes on the floor to the hamper, papers to the desk and books to the bookshelves.

"This may not be perfect. I suggest you make sure that everything is in the right place. But at least it won't look like a tornado hit tomorrow. Now, go to sleep." Shinwoo said, touching Lisa's forehead and putting her to slee immediately. He then took each of them to their own beds and left.

"Good luck on your exams tomorrow." Shinwoo whispered as he shut the door.

Han Shinwoo… You've brought two new people to my home without clearing it with Master or me first, without even telling me. So what were you thinking? Frankenstein asked irritably. Shinwoo looked at Frankenstein regretfully.

"Sorry… There wasn't much time for planning. I can figure out where to put them if you give me a little while, but they're fugitives from the Union, now…

"The First Elder, Tesamu is gone. I believe I've successfully returned his conscience to him, atrophied as it was when I last battled him. But these two, they've agreed to work for you, if you'll let them."

"Hm… Well, I have all the security guards I could ever need at Ye Ran already. I have some other businesses that could use some security guards. I've been meaning to rearrange Ye Ran security in alternate locations." Frankenstein said, calling everyone into the room.

"Okay… Hello everyone. As you might be able to see, we have some new guests. They've agreed to work for me in exchange for my housing them. I have another company that I'm the CEO of. I use another person to run the company from the grounds, but for all intents and purposes, I own it, and I've been meaning to add more security.

"Artemis, Hecate, Melchior, Muzaka, Garda, Yuizi… Here is the address of your new assignment. I'll alert the company's president to your arrival next week. Until then, you can rest. I need to run some tests on Hecate and Melchior to make sure their conditions are stable.

So, enjoy the rest of your rest. Everyone who was captured by Tesamu, I would like to look at you as well to confirm your situations as well. Thank you." Frankenstein said, heading down to the lab, taking Shinwoo with him to assist. Shinwoo hurried down. The rest of the day was spent taking care of the relatively minor injuries sustained by the Nobles and the modified humans.

Shinwoo was so relieved. Finally, Tesamu was no longer an issue. Hopefully, they could go back to their normal lives. Naturally, the Union wouldn't be defeated so easily. But there were only four elders left, so they were probably considerably weakened. Unfortunately, that could easily mean that there would be investigations into the disappearances of four Union elders in Korea, especially if they weren't documented. But that could be handled when and if it came.

For now, he was already planning his wedding to Seira, which would, with luck, be in six months. There was so much to do, and so many people to invite.

 **The End**


End file.
